Coach Seeks Early Dev For Budding Talents

The National Junior Tennis Coach, Ubale Mohammed, has stressed that it was only through the early discovery of outstanding budding talents that the growth of the sport could be sustained.

Ubale told newsmen in Lagos that athletes who started their careers early in life usually enjoyed a long spell in their vocations.

The coach added that budding talents were usually groomed in the rudiments of the sport and also exposed to the right kind of competitions.

“Jonathan Igbinovia was one of our very own who was the youngest Nigerian tennis player to feature in the Davis Cup. “He was put through and rose through our developmental programmes to bring out the talent in him. “He is just an example of such a champion,” Ubale said.

He advised coaches to nurture young tennis players in primary and secondary schools through well-crafted programmes, to groom them to stardom.

The coach, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the non-inclusion of the sport in the inter-house sports competitions in the Secondary Schools.

“There should be good sensitisation programmes to encourage and develop the sport in schools, as Tennis does not segregate in any way,” he said.

Ubale advised school authorities to ensure that tennis was made a part of their annual inter-house sports events, stressing that more talents could be discovered through such competitions.