Nigeria’s status as the number one country in wheelchair tennis on the continent will soon be restored, Naija Tennis Special can authoritatively report.
Some years ago, Wasiu Yusuf from Nigeria, was adjudged the number one wheelchair tennis player in Nigeria and Africa after some scintillating performances in the sport.
Alongside, Alex Adewale, Nigeria was represented at the Paralympics in London and Beijing, as well as world team cup, but all of these have waned in the past few years due to the sordid state of tennis in the country.
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| Former Nigeria and Africa’s number one wheelchair tennis player, Wasiu Yusuf (middle), receiving a trophy he won at the now rested New Era tennis tourney for physically challenged players. |
One of our readers had consistently asked for the fate of wheelchair tennis in the country and as a follow up, Naija Tennis Special decided to ask the team lead of the tennis federation for a clarification on the issue.
According to Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju, the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), wheelchair tennis will no longer suffer such fate as he affirmed that it is also part of the board’s priorities, especially because it has suffered a decline in recent years.
The new NTF president noted that what the federation is after at the moment is sponsorship of all forms; whether for tournaments or for facilities that will aid the game of tennis.
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| Alex Adewale played to the second round of the US Open but has since been frustrated due to dearth of tournaments in the country. |
He noted categorically that: “The drive now is the sponsorship, we are at 21.
“Presently I am in Enugu where I have come to speak with some prospective sponsors and things are going really fine.
“We want to gather the number the number of sponsors that we can get before drawing the calendar and I believe by the end of August, we should be sure.
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| L-R: Alex Adewale, Coach Frank Termena and Wasiu Yusuf at the World Team Cup in Turkey so many years ago. |
“I want everyone out there to know that wheelchair tennis is definitely part of our plans for the coming months.”
Engr. Akindoju also revealed that he has been speaking with the coach and players associated with wheelchair tennis, assuring them that their tournaments will soon come alive.
“I am also in touch with the key players and their coach, so they have not been forgotten. We shall revive wheelchair tennis in Nigeria,” he noted.