Why Nigerian Players Lag Behind-Abel

Coach Abel Ubiebi has stated that Nigerian tennis players lack the technicalities to take on their foreign players, which explains why we have not been able to excel in the sports.

Coach Abel Ubiebi (left), poses with Nigerian ex-Davis Cup player, Ibukun Ilesanmi (right) now a coach in the US, at the World Coaches’ Clinic in South Carolina, USA after a meeting with Tracey (middle)

The coach, who works with the Aces Tennis Academy in Lagos said on return from the World Coaches’ Conference in the USA that the conference has exposed him to many scientific trends in tennis and he hopes to help the players in his academy.
According to him, “tennis has gone really scientific and that training has really helped me realise many of our flaws in Nigerian tennis.
“Our players do not have world class coaches to teach them the technicalities of the game. They are always reluctant to hire a coach who is likely to help them get better in the sport.
“Even if they do not pay them handsomely like their foreign counterparts, they should be able to give them something to appreciate them for their efforts. With that, the coaches will be encouraged to work with the players.”

Coach Ubiebi posing with Jon Prenelle, the South Carolina Tennis Academy Director during the event

Explaining further on the new tricks he has learnt from his trip to the US, Ubiebi noted that, “many of our players do not know the dimensions of the court. This is very important.
“It helps you to know where to play your shots and how to hit. It also helps a player know what kind of return to make and positioning as well.
“These and many more are the things which I hope to explain to my players when we resume our training.”
On whether he was sponsored by the federation or the Academy, Ubiebi replied: “It was more of a personal project and quite expensive. Despite this, I hope to go there again in May to update my knowledge of the game. I will not mind its cost implication.”