28th April, 2015
Damilare Okunola/Abuja
Number one seed at the ongoing Tombim Abuja ITF Futures, Nedunchezhiyan Jeevan, has expressed confidence in his ability to play up to expectation, and insists that he is not under pressure to perform.
In a chat with P.M.NEWS Sport on Tuesday at the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja, venue of the ongoing tournament, the 2014 finalist at the Lagos Governor’s Cup Tennis Futures, noted that he always tries to surpass his former records.
“When you are rated number one for a tournament, that means you are one of those expected to win the tournament. As a matter of fact, the top four players are often expected to win.
“However, it does not always work that way. This is tennis, where many unexpected things happen. Having said that, I do not go into a match without thinking that I can win it.
“I always have that winning mentality and I always try to match my mentality with what I do on the court,” the world 346 ranked player stated.
Asked if he remembers his close game against Clifford Enosoregbe at the Governor’s Cup Championship about two years ago, the petit player recalled with a smile, “yeah, close match”.
Adding that, “Enosoregbe is Nigeria’s best player. The last time, I tipped him to play in the top 500 in the world and I still do not believe any less.
“He has such great movements on the court that seem so perfect and one cannot think any less of him. I watched him play on Monday and from what I saw, he is a great player. The best Nigerian player that I have seen.
“I must also say that one has to be wary of the Nigerian players because they could be really good that you look clueless while playing them.”