The Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Victor Hemba, has revealed the strategy that powered Team Nigeria to a memorable 3–1 victory over Uzbekistan in the Davis Cup Playoff, securing promotion to the World Group II stage.
Hemba spoke to Sports247 after the historic win at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club 1895, where the Nigerian team delivered an inspired performance in front of home supporters.
According to Hemba, the technical crew deliberately chose to rely on home-based players rather than foreign-based stars, placing their trust in local talent and collective belief.
“We didn’t even rely on foreign players. We said we would do it from the home front. With the belief we all had and by talking to the players tirelessly, we delivered,” he said.
He also explained that the team’s preparation was not influenced by the rankings of their opponents, but rather by confidence in the abilities of the Nigerian players.
“We knew what our players could do. We also knew where they needed improvement and how to push them a little more. That was what we focused on day and night,” Hemba stated.
Drawing from his own experience as a former national-level player, Hemba noted that the technical team was able to relate closely with the players and provide the right motivation and technical guidance.
“Some of us joined in because I was a player myself. We knew exactly what to say to them and where to impact them, and the impact worked,” he added.
Looking ahead, Hemba disclosed that the Federation is already working on a comprehensive development plan aimed at addressing the players’ need for greater international exposure.
“The coach complained about the players lacking exposure. What we want to do now is prepare them properly. Our board is barely three months old, but we are working on a robust plan,” he explained.
As part of the plan, the NTF intends to expose the players to international training and competition tours to help them gain more match experience.
“We’re going to give them international exposure, take them on competition tours and ensure they play a lot of matches. I believe that in the next four years, we will have several players ranked in the top 200,” Hemba said confidently.
The member of the NTF Executive Board and Chairman of the Central Planning Committee (CPC) for the Davis Cup tie, further revealed a long-term grassroots strategy aimed at catching talents early.
“We are already working on Plan A, which focuses on grassroots development. We want to catch them young—starting from seven years, 10 years, and 14 years. In four years, we’ll be able to see what becomes of those kids,” he noted.
He added that Plan B will focus on improving the current crop of players by giving them more playing time and exposure to push Nigeria closer to the elite level of world tennis.
“Plan B is to take the players we already have at this level, make them better, and give them more opportunities so they can push us towards Grand Slams and higher competitions in a short period of time,” Hemba concluded.
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