6th March, 2012
Nigeria’s number one male player, Abdulmumini Babalola, told DAMILARE OKUNOLA about the challenges he has faced since he started playing tennis in 1999, and other issues
Nothing has been heard about you since the Dala Hard Court tourney in Kano last year, what have you been up to?
You can imagine that after the tournament, which took place in November last year, there hasn’t been any tournament to keep the players in good shape. How do you expect the local players to excel in their games? I’m in town anyway, keeping myself in shape and waiting patiently for the next tournament to hold. Sincerely speaking, our situation is getting worse in tennis and the upcoming players are beginning to lose hope in the sport.
Which tournament are you looking forward to now?
Port-Harcourt Open is expected to hold at the end of this month and hopefully, others will come up later, like the CBN Open in June and the Davis Cup.
For how long have you been playing tennis?
I’ve been playing since 1999, but I became a professional in 2003.
What aroused your interest in the racquet game?
I would say passion was the motivating factor that time. I was a ball boy at the Ibadan Recreational Club where I gradually gained interest in the game. I was always at the court before the club members got there to play their games. I always watched them closely. Eventually, the Baale of Bodija, Alhaji Rasheed Adesokan encouraged me to play the game. He had great confidence in me and here I am today playing tennis professionally.
What would you be doing if you were not a tennis player?
I nursed the ambition of becoming a great footballer because I was very good at playing football. In fact, I can say that I was better than Nigeria’s best player at the moment. But when I was exposed to the opportunities in tennis, I opted for the sport.
Were your parents in support of you playing tennis?
That was one of the major challenges that I had in the beginning. My parents did not want me to go into any sporting activity. They wanted me to join the family business, but because of my stubbornness, I followed my dream and they couldn’t be happier than they are now for what tennis has made me.
Can you recall the number of tournaments you’ve participated in over the years?
I’ve lost count. I’ve been to so many countries within and outside Africa. I’ve played at the Davis Cup in Italy and London, COJA 2003 training camp in Stuttgart, Germany and few others. I’ve been very fortunate to play in so many tournaments and that has improved my game. I just thank God for what I am today.
In all the tournaments you have played outside the country, which one did you win?
It was pretty difficult for me to win any of these tournaments because of the calibre of players involved. However, I got to the semi finals of few of the tourneys and at times, the quarter finals. There were even times that I did not progress beyond the qualifying stages.
Which of these tourneys was your most challenging?
It was when Nigeria defeated Gabon but I can’t really remember the year now. It was my first time of representing Nigeria at the senior level and I came out clean in the game. Outside the country, it was in 2006, when Nigeria played against Turkey in Ireland. I was down by 5-0 and I rallied back into the game and won 7-5, 6-3. It was a very tough one for me and I’d rate it as my most challenging game ever.
What’s your current national ranking?
I’m the country’s number one male player at the moment.
What is your biggest victory?
When I paired Loglo Komlavi from Togo in 2009 to win the Men’s Doubles of the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship. It was a very big win for me because I never envisaged such a victory at that time.
While in the singles, winning the CBN Open in 2008 was the biggest one for me.
Talking about the Governor’s Cup, what happened when you paired Daouda Ndiaye from Senegal against the guys from France and Uzbekistan at the doubles final of the second leg of last year’s tournament in Lagos?
You should not forget that I was the only Nigerian that made it to the final of that championship and there was immense pressure on us as a team to deliver, but it was not to be. We played our hearts out unfortunately, we couldn’t win the game. The beauty of it was that I was glad to have made it to the final of the tourney again, but winning would have been the icing on the cake for us. My partner was very fantastic and made several great interceptions but that’s history now.
How do you feel seeing the wheelchair tennis players qualifying for the Paralympics, a feat that is yet to be matched by the able-bodied players?
I’d like to congratulate the players for making our country proud at the World Team Cup in Kenya. Having said that, I would like to state that the sport was never seen as one that the black race could thrive in and we were never given a chance to participate at such top championships. I learnt that slots have been given to top players in Africa but we’re not among the Top 5 on the continent. Hopefully, we shall have players representing the country at the Olympics someday.
The little you have achieved in the game, How did you do it?
I did not just achieve those feats without facing some challenges. At the beginning, I was told that I was wasting my time because the sport wasn’t meant for the black people but I worked very hard, followed my mind and also listened to my coach’s advice. Those have been the magic and then God has also been crowning my efforts with success.
What do you think should be done to make tennis thrive in Nigeria?
The President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, Sani Ndanusa is an experienced man and knows what to do. He has been trying his best, which I believe would soon be yielding results. But my advice is that every member of the NTF board should organise and sponsor a tournament from their respective states. With this, we’ll have so many competitions to play in the country on a regular basis and the upcoming players will have avenues to express themselves. It’s quite painful that we have talented players in the country but they don’t have good platforms to showcase their talent
Your future ambitions in the game?
I’m looking forward to a time when Nigerians will play in Grand Slams in the world, when the country would be able to claim her rightful place in the sport.
Do you have any role model in the sport?
Rotimi Jegede is my role model in the local scene and Rafael Nadal on the international scene because he’s a left handed player just like me.
What advice do you have for upcoming players?
They should stay away from drugs, belief in themselves and let discipline be their watchword
Are you married?
Yes, with one child.
How has it been combining tennis and family?
I had been with my wife since I was playing in the juniors so she knows everything it takes to be a sportsman. She’s very understanding and that has really helped me to cope the challenges.