On 14 March, 2024, Toyin Asogba touched down in France alongside Elisha Olowogbile. The plan was for them to train at an academy and play tournaments.
Exactly two months after, and Asogba has played to the semifinal of four tournaments as well as appearing in two finals in the process.
It is safe to say that the Nigerian player, one of those invited to participate in preparations for the African Games eagerly this year, has found a good training and hunting ground for herself.
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While her counterparts in Nigeria are yet to have a taste of a national tournament since the beginning of the year, Asogba has already participated in a minimum of seven tournaments in eight weeks and it does appear as if she’s just starting.
In a series of conversations with Nigeria Tennis Live over the past few weeks, the player has shown that for a tennis player to thrive, they cannot joke with training and playing competitions consistently.
“My body is aching me badly from training,” she once told our correspondent. “I usually train with the guys here, and they don’t stop hitting the balls, they hardly ever get tired.”
While it may be difficult to ascertain the level of Asogba’s ball hitting abilities, one can surely confirm that playing tournaments with prize monies consistently in Europe will certainly not come cheap.
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“If you see the level these young players play at every week, you’ll be shocked. Even me, I was shocked.
“Since I got here, it has been tough trying to play with the weather always windy. Playing matches till 2am is a wonderful experience I never envisaged as well,” the Ikorodu girl told Nigeria Tennis Live.
Asked how she feels about her performance and how she has come over the past few months, she said: “Well… I’m proud of myself for coming this far. Playing four semis and two finals has been tough, but with my hard work, support from my family, coach and team mates, I have been able to achieve all this.”
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While trying to gauge the level of competition at the tournaments she has been playing, Asogba noted that, “If I was in Nigeria definitely I would have won because the players here are players that have really played in many tournaments around the world, and we don’t really have many tournaments in Nigeria.
“If I’ll compare them to the people I’ve played against in Nigeria, I’ll say Oyinlomo Quadre’s level because in Nigeria, I used to I lose in quarterfinals, sometimes, semis.
“And the players I lose to mostly are Oyinlomo and Marylove, so they play really good here and I’m loving the level of competition.”
Our Nigerian girl is barely two months into back-to-back non-stop tennis training and competitions, and she has started doing well. It is only a matter of time before she starts picking up WTA points.
Perhaps, it’s also time she is considered for the Billie Jean King Cup team after her recent consistent performances on the court.
Nigeria Tennis Live will surely keep tabs on her and report her development to our teeming audience scattered across the globe.
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