A former Nigerian junior tennis player, Christopher Itodo has decried the lack of enough tennis tournaments in the country as he said when there are no competitions to play, players’ dreams die naturally. The Kaduna based player who spoke to Trust Sports on the eve of the 2021 CBN Senior tennis championship which ends today in Abuja maintained that availability of tournaments would enhance the group of the game in Nigeria. He also explained why Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are his favourite players.
How are you looking forward to the 2021 CBN Senior tennis Championship?
It’s a great opportunity for us to play competitive tennis once again. It is going to be a tough one because most of the players have used the Davnotch tournament for warm up so everybody I should say is in top shape for the CBN Seniors championship.
How satisfied are you with your performance in the Davnotch championship?
My performance was not encouraging because I lost out in the first round. However, I am confident I will perform better in the CBN tournament. I know why I lost out early so I won’t allow that to repeat in the next tournament.
What would you say was responsible for your early exit?
Well, this is nothing new because things like this usually happen to every player. I was leading in the second set but I didn’t sustain my performance. Few mistakes got me distracted and that was it. Secondly, I am just coming back from injury so I need more matches to get back my fitness.
Are you sure you will overcome these challenges in the next tournament which is the CBN Senior championship?
Like I said earlier, what happened to me in the other championship is not going to repeat so soon because I know what to do going forward. I made mistakes in the other tournament but mistakes are meant to be corrected. I will correct my mistakes in the CBN Seniors.
What was your performance in the last edition of the CBN tennis championship?
I came all the way from the preliminary rounds to the second round. That was not a bad performance but this time I am targeting at least the semi-finals. I know it is not going to be easy but that is my target.
When and how did you start playing the game of tennis?
I started when I was nine years old. I used to follow my tennis playing uncle to the courts and that was how I developed interest in the sport. Initially, my interest was in football but my uncle influenced my choice of tennis. With his support, I joined an academy in Kaduna where I was groomed.
When did you transit from junior to senior tennis player?
When I was a junior player, I still played some senior competitions but I became a senior player fully in 2014 when I was given a wild card for the CBN seniors after I won the CBN junior championship.
Have you represented or how soon do you hope to represent Nigeria?
At the junior level, I have represented Nigeria in the Davis Cup and some ITF junior tournaments. Most times, I reached the quarter-finals or semi-finals. I was at the Davis Cup in Tunisia in 2017 and my performance was encouraging. I am looking forward to more opportunities to represent Nigeria. I believe that if I can play more tournaments to improve my ranking, I will be there again.
What is your present ranking?
I am ranked 47th in the country but it’s because I was out for sometime due to injury. I am back and stronger now so I will do everything possible to return to where I rightly belong. I am confident my ranking will soon improve.
In what ways have you benefited from playing tennis?
To be honest with you, I am not only after money. I need it but my focus is to play tennis and make a name. Secondly, my target is to get a scholarship to go and continue with my education and professional career abroad. But to answer your question, I have benefitted from playing tennis, so I have no regret choosing the sport.
Would you say there are enough tennis tournaments in Nigeria for players to play and make money?
No, there aren’t enough tournaments. This to me is a major setback for Nigerian tennis. It is worrisome that we cannot boast of more than four tournaments in a year. In other countries, especially in the USA and Europe, players move from one tournament to another. When you are done with this one, you move to the next. Unfortunately, the situation here is different. We don’t have similar opportunities and this is killing the talents that abound in this country. We keep training but tournaments come with different challenges that make us better players. You can continue to train but when you are not tested in tournaments, you will lack the confidence to play on the bigger stage. When you play and lose, you know that one day you will become a champion but when there are no tournaments, dreams die naturally,
CBN has just increased the singles prize money to N1m. How is this going to motivate you and the rest of the players?
It is indeed a morale booster but it all depends on what one is looking for. For me, I want to play more competitions so I don’t really look at the monetary side of it. It is good they have increased the money but they can give more support by assisting with more tournaments. Like I said earlier, talents abound in Nigeria but tournaments are few. They can also sponsor players to attend international tournaments where they will be able to improve on their world rankings.
Who is your role model in tennis?
I watch and learn from legends like Roger Federer and the world number one player, Novak Djokovic. I like Federer because of his style of play. He is always calm, focused and gentlemanly on and off the court. Even when he is losing, he remains calm. You hardly see him breaking racquets due to frustration. And I like Djokovic’s confidence. No matter the quality of opposition, he always believes he is going to win. He is a courageous guy who makes the guy interesting. I learn from these two tennis icons.
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