Kid players yearn for tennis clinic

By Dipo Ogunsola - 18.03.2008

BUDDING tennis players in Ibadan have called for the resuscitation of holiday clinics held for them yearly at the Ibadan Recreation Club (IRC).

The players, whom featured in the just-concluded zonal U-16 and U-12 Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)-sponsored second edition of National Junior Tennis Championship held at the IRC, said the high standard exhibited by other states in the event, demanded that tennis players must not rest on their oars.

“Although we won the NCC event through Dara Ajulo and Tunde Olatunji, yet we believe we have to do more before other states catch up with us,” said one of the players.

Meanwhile, coach Yemi Kasali, the organiser of the yearly tennis clinic, pledged to help the kid players out.

“It is true our kids are used to the holiday clinics sponsored by FAN Milk but the yearly programme has suffered a hitch which I believe our sponsors will soon resolve”.

Kasali added that it was not his joy that the Fanmilk-sponsored yearly clinic has not held this year because the pressure being mounted on him by the kids, their parents, coaches and gamesmasters show that there is great enthusiasm for the game in the state.

The coach said he was happy that most of his players did well in the NCC age-group tennis events in spite of still challenges from players from Lagos, Kwara, Ekiti and Kogi states.