By Muzammil Dalha Yola
In line with National Sports Commission's catch-them-young disposition, the Commission has thrown its weight behind teenage tennis sensation Khadijat Eleojo Mohammed.
In a press release signed by Ajayi Kehinde (Mrs) Director (information and PR) NSC stated that, Khadijat at only 15 years has proven to be the next big thing in Nigerian tennis. She became the first West or Central African player to win the ITF J30 World Tour. Aged 14 in 2023, she is the first teenager to win the Dala Tennis, a title she retained this year. Way above her peers, she has even cracked it professionally with back-to-back Dala Hard Court titles.
The challenge now, is how to make that step to the next level considering the immense financial demands of professional tennis. For this reason, her father and coach, Mohammed Ohinoyi, a certified ITF coach and a former professional tennis player, appealed to the NSC for support.
They had helped her thus far with their meager resources and can no longer afford the demands of the next phase of her development.
Step in, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko. The Commission will ensure that Khadijat's full potentials are realized.
His words, "I am quite impressed with what you have been able to do with your tennis career. No doubt you deserve all the encouragement and support that you can get. Even if you didn't come here, I am sure we would have found you along the line. I will make sure we support and help you to be the best you can be. Obviously the potentials are there. For you to be winning big tournaments professionally at such a young age, the future is very bright. We will support you so that you don't fall by the wayside.
"This is in line with our grassroots program. We are embarking on a vigorous exercise to discover younger talents to take over from the older athletes. We are doing this across all sports. And here you are. Be rest assured that we will carry you on our wings."
The Commission will shortlist her for their adopt-an-athlete initiative.
"We have the adopt-an-athlete program, so we will see how we can put you on the platform where the companies we are dealing with can come to support you in addition to whatever support that we can give as commission under our grassroots policy. We will look at you and see how we make you part of our program", he said..
Dikko has set his sights on Khadijat doing exploits at the Olympics someday.
"Tennis is also an Olympics sport. It is at this age that we can start nurturing the best tennis players to get us to the podium. With the right training, I believe that in two or three years, with the right roadmap you should be having a go at the Olympics and other top competitions and we see how we take it from there. So we need to get more details about her training and the plans", he enthused.
He continued, "I am happy that your dad is your coach. Most successful tennis players started from their dad as coach. We already have plans for grassroots development, elite development and definitely, we will try to reach you to see what we can do.
"We will liaise with the Nigeria Tennis Federation because whatever we have to do, we will align with the programs of the Federation and make sure they are part of what we are doing. We will try to push you as much as we can to take you to the next level."
The NSC Chairman instantly assigned an aide Bar. Musa Amadu to follow up on Khadijat and provide updates.
"Since you train in our facility here at the MKO Abiola Stadium, we will come to watch. Be rest assured that we will keep a tab on you. We will follow your progress in the tournaments and circuits. You quite align with our vision to catch them young. We would be doing aggressive grassroots sports development as part of the overall vision, so you have come to the right place at the right time. We will ensure you are properly guided and your dreams activated", he added.
Dikko cautioned her against dumping the nation afterwards.
"Be careful, it is not after we have pushed you up now, tomorrow, you say you are representing another country. You are laughing now, it's not funny. Not after we have done all the hard work now, tomorrow another country will come and reap where they didn't sow", he concluded.
Earlier, Amadu had hammered on the need to support Khadijat.
He said, "Nigeria has a potential tennis great here. I know the difficulties that players face when they come out and want to turn professional and create a name for themselves on the circuit. Funding is the key problem here. Without sufficient funding, the player's natural talent will just fizzle away. So many had fallen by the way side because of improper funding. For a player like her to make the desired impact, we need to get her probably registered in an academy in the Spain because most players making the desired inroads are in academies in Spain, Germany where she can train with other top players and develop. In Spain, they have all sorts of academies and all sorts of clay courts and she will be able to participate in ITF Junior tournaments and aspire to break into the Grand Slams.
"Competitions will make her to develop appropriately. Without competitions, players become complacent and feel they are the best in the little space they find themselves. It is heartwarming that at 15, she has already conquered Nigeria and with a potential to conquer Africa. But she needs to be properly supported to bring more honour to the country."
While appealing for the Commission's support, Ohinoyi said, "We as her parents have done our best, we can no longer take her beyond here. The remaining is in the hands of the National Sports Commission. That is why we are here. We have come because we don't have the capacity to continue with her."
Khadijat added, "If I am supported to get up there, I will also like to lift others and help them to make it in tennis. I want to be a source of inspiration to young tennis players in Nigeria."
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