Coach Decries Falling Tennis Standard

A former Lagos State tennis coach, Kehinde Ajayi, has decried the dearth of quality tennis competitions in the country, warning that this could affect development of the sport.

Ajayi said in Lagos that the standard of the game had dropped due to lack of competitions and exposure of the players.

He said that the slide in standard needed to be stopped for tennis to recover its lost glory in Nigeria and implored stakeholders to sponsor competitions.

“We also implore individuals and corporate organisations to help sponsor local and international competitions for the sport to regain its standard,’’ Ajayi said.

According to him, competitions are avenues to discover budding talents and for the players to learn techniques to enable them to compete favourably in international tournaments.

Ajayi said that during the just concluded Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Open Championship in Lagos, the falling standard of the game was witnessed.

“Most of their serves were poor and most of them easily lost hope when they could not win their first set,’’ he said.

Ajayi, a 1973 ECOWAS tennis silver medallist, recalled that the standard of the game was very high in the 1970s and early 1980s.

He noted that players then had their skills honed through regular competitions, including international championships.

Ajayi advised the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) to assist upcoming players to reach their peak by organising competitions which would give them necessary exposure for future challenges.

He advised the NTF and other stakeholders to be accountable and transparent in the expenditure of sponsorship funds in order to encourage individuals and corporate bodies to do more.