A Nigerian former Davis Cup player, Sunday Emmanuel has lamented what he called a persistent adverse situation in which the country’s young tennis players chase money at the early stages of their careers instead of seeking high rankings internationally.
Sports247 reports that the USA-based former national team ace admitted he saw some promising performances by the country’s players at the recent Davis Cup qualifiers in Abuja, but stressed that the focus and their developmental process is still lopsided.
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Sunday Emmanuel argued, “I was in Abuja during the Davis Cup, and I watched every bit of it. I was proud of the guys, but I was not happy that there was no foundation behind it.
“I say this because we have five, six guys that are in college in America, and they get to experience top, top facilities that make them able to compete at the highest level.”
He went on to opine that a better approach to youth development in tennis would take Nigeria out of the setbacks he experienced during his time of playing for the nation and are still being faced by the country’s current set of players.
The tennis icon added, “When you go back home, you see under-10, 12, 16 players, but there’s no foundation for them. So, it takes us back to the same thing that my generation went through that they are also going through right now.”
He concluded by advocating a new approach that would see young players thinking of a gradual progression through the ranks, especially by mixing their development process with education, instead of chasing money on the circuit.
“I was at least fortunate enough to leave the country when I was 12 years old. Even with that, I still feel I was late, because I already knew what the struggle was in Nigeria.
“At that time, half of my tennis career was already focused on chasing money instead of a dream to become world number one. I was just trying to survive, and that’s what’s still happening up till now for young players in Nigeria,” Emmanuel posited.
