Nigeria-born Ghanaian player, Isaac Attah, has never gone past the quarterfinal stage of any national competition even though he’s been playing the sport for about ten years, but he’s not giving up on his dreams.
The young man was a delight to watch at the 2021 Rainoil Open tennis championship where he shone like millions in his match against Uche Oparaoji, even though he ended up on the losing side.
Despite his disappointment at not winning the match to advance in the tournament, the Lagos-based player believes he can still do well in tennis because that’s all he does for a living.
“I don’t have any other job, I don’t work in the bank, this is the only job I know to do. I am also a tennis coach, I teach youngsters how to play,” a visibly disappointed but motivated Attah said during an interview with Nigeria Tennis Live in Lagos.
According to him: “I am a Ghanaian but I was born in Lagos. I’ve been living all my life in Lagos.
“I have not won (any national tournament) because I know that I have not been pushing hard. I’ve not done what I’m supposed to do to get me to that stage. I need to work hard so I can get there.
“I really need to work more on my training routines, more exercises, more jogging and all that, to get to the level that I have to get to, to win a competition.”
Even though he isn’t winning and the chances seem even bleak, Attah says he is not giving up on his dreams of becoming a champion someday.
He said: “I am not giving up, I am still fighting, I’m still going to come back. I’ll be a champion one day, I believe so.”
Attah says he is very comfortable on any of the surfaces available for any competition and analysed the difference between them both.
“Balls are only faster on hard courts so you have to be sharp. On clay, the ball is slow, so you have to be patient,” said the 18th ranked player on the national rankings.
He also refers to himself more as a Nigerian than as a Ghanaian. “I am more of a Nigerian than I am a Ghanaian. I’ll be like a novice in Ghana, but in Nigeria, I know my way around. I’m a Lagos boy.”