5 Nigerian Tennis Players Who Have Outstanding Academic Records

Nigerian tennis players and other athletes are mostly believed to focus only on their sport that they are bereft of ideas in their academic works.

While some of the people who say this may have had experiences to back their claims, it is mostly not true, because, like other students who excel academically, athletes also thrive in their academics, and Nigerian players are not an exception.

Recently, Nigeria Tennis Live featured a number of players who have been outstanding academically, as a way of showing that there’s a lot of ‘brain’ behind their ‘beauties’.

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In this special episode, we shall be featuring five Nigerian players whose academic performances have not gone unnoticed and deserve to be celebrated.

Damilola Agunbiade
This Cross River-based Nigerian tennis player is just 13 years old, but has shown that he has brains bigger than his age, perhaps, one which many of his peers can only dream of.

Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that this youngster ‘accidentally’ got into secondary school at age 8 when his parents were advised that he should take the entrance exam to prepare him for the next entrance year, but this genius aced the exam, scoring 208/300 and returned as the 22nd best student out of 218 applicants.

Even though he was deemed too young and asked to defer his admission for a year, this young Agunbiade insisted that he would cope well, and boy, hasn’t he coped VERY WELL?

At the last University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), this ‘underage’ scholar – who wants to study materials science and metallurgy so that he can produce materials that will help solve environmental, technical and everyday problems – also proved that age is just a number.

He scored 280 at a time when poor results from the examination became an internet sensation, a clear indication of how brilliant this youngster is.

Nigeria Tennis Live reached out to one of his teachers to ask how he fares in his academics and he had this to say: “My encounter with him was as a result of his excellent performance in my subject, knowing how much students are afraid of the subject. I was his mathematics teacher.

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“Damilola is an outstanding and gifted child who is always ready to take and face any academic challenge and even other extracurricular activities”.

His proud father, who also chipped in a few words about his son, stated quite frankly, that “Despite the tough routine of tennis practice and tournaments travelling, missing classes and taking assignments on the road, he is one of the best students in his class”.

Serena Teluwo
While she was still in Nigeria, not so much was said about her academic performances because most people focused solely on her tennis abilities, this is due to the fact that she is such a talented player.

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Even though she was always quiet and only mingled with her friends on the court, this Shaw University student has always been an outstanding student off the court.

From Darlington School until she got into College, there was never a time the Nigerian player did not ‘show workings’ with her academics as she kept proving to be an academically sound athlete.

She recently won the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in her school after proving to also be an unplayable athlete on the court, a sign that tennis observers have to pay attention to the player.

The Psychology Major ended the academic session with a 4.0 CGPA, an indication that she has been paying as much attention to her academics as she has been to her tennis.

If any parent thinks their children may not be good academically because they are engrossed in sporting activities, this 17-year-old is the sign they need to know that both can go hand in hand without any of them suffering.

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Jumai Mohammed
In December, 2023, Nigeria Tennis Live reported the story of US-based Jumai who defied all odds to emerge among the best students in her university – she was named on the prestigious Dean’s List in the institution.

The undergraduate student at the Clark Atlanta University made the list comprising students with the highest CGPA of 3.25 to 4.0 and the people who make it to this list are always celebrated by the institution.

Nigeria’s Jumai, a 300-level Accounting Major student at the institution, made it to the list and was hugely recognized for this feat which is believed to be a really big deal in the school.

Nigeria Tennis Live had a brief chat with the young lady on what this means to her and she revealed how excited she was when she saw her name on the list.

“Being a student and playing tennis can be challenging as it requires effective time management to balance academic commitments and rigorous training schedules.

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“Juggling assignments, exams, and practice sessions demands discipline and dedication,” Jumai said.

Again, Nigerian players are not only always about the sport, they also put in a lot of efforts to reach their academic goals.

Godsmiracle Essien
This new tennis sensation from Akwa-Ibom will blow your mind once you get into a conversation with him, but that’s not all there is to him. It is just a sign of what to come.

Not only does this GEUF Tennis Academy player speak Queen’s English quite correctly for his age, he also carries a demeanour that shows that he clearly knows what he is doing.

And for a nine-year-old, that may have been quite an ask. But he does it confidently, not just while conversing with people, but in his academics.

A few weeks ago, Essien emerged as the best in a National Mathematics competition organized and held in Akwa-Ibom State, and was adjudged overall 5th best in Nigeria.

Such was his performance that Mfon Essien Udom, MD/CEO of Ibom Air and Patron of the GEUF Tennis Academy, issued a congratulatory statement to celebrate the youngster.

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Essien has proven that it does not take so much to be both a tennis star and stand out in one’s academics, and Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that he has proven this time and again to his peers and friends.

With stories and reports like his, parents whose children have taken to the sport can easily rest assured that their wards are likely to come out excellent in their academics.

Wuraola Fatima
Wuraola Fatima from Kwara State scored 351 in the recently released University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, another indicator of how tennis packs brains and beauty.

The 18-year-old player who wants to study Computer Science, was full of excitement when she shared the good news with Nigeria Tennis Live.

She explained that the outcome of the examination was made even more interesting because she did not put so much energy into it as she was preparing for another examination.

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“I’m very happy about the result. It was a a big surprise because the exam was not one that I really prepared for. I am focused on my A-level at the moment.

“I just wrote it as a second plan, just in case, God forbid, if the A-level doesn’t work out. I’m grateful to God for giving me this result because I am very proud of it,” the one-time Sapati International School, Ilorin, Kwara State told Nigeria Tennis Live.

While stating her desire to study Computer Science, Fatimah revealed that she was home schooled for most part of her senior secondary school days and only had to join a school to write WAEC before taking the UTME examination.

We are proud of these players and we are sure that parents whose children are also keen on sports will see the importance of allowing them pick their choice and go for it.

In no distant future, we shall return to share more good news about these players or even more because they will keep soaring.

Nigeria Tennis Live will keep researching such talented students who are not just stars on the courts but who are academic geniuses.