'We are going to start Ikorodu Junior Lawn Tennis competition to scout for champion within Ikorodu in 2020'

Mr. Olaniyan Adeyemi is a lawn tennis coach and a member of Laspotech Tennis Club. He is the proprietor and head coach of FIRST SHOT TENNIS ACADEMY. In this interview with Sportsvibe.blogspot.com, he reveals plans to bring the sport to the less privileged.

Que: What drew your passion into lawn tennis?

 Actually, I was a footballer when I was younger. I played for clubs like LDPS, Julius Beger, NEPA, Okinoloja FC. During my playing days, I played both amateur and little of professional football. After football, I got married and blessed with kids. I discovered that tennis is one of the sports that can easily change people life. It is a sport that I fell in love with after watching the biography of Serena Williams. I discovered if given the opportunity, anybody can do it. So about three years, I started working on how to become both a tennis player and a tennis coach. I registered with my darling club; Laspotech tennis club where I was tutored on how to hold the racket and hit the ball and after doing that for a year, I went to National Institute for Sports to gather knowledge and know more about the sport where I was certified as a tennis coach. After, I did Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) examination and got certified and I also enrolled for United State Tennis Academy (USTA). These are international body that certified tennis coach.

Que: How did you start your tennis academy?

When I joined tennis, I met people that have been playing over ten years. Because I played island when I was in school and I was one the good island player which I used plank and bad tennis balls in those days. So the transition was easy for me. I felt if there are people out there who could not go to school, feed their families and they have strength, why don't I divert the their strength into positive use of sport and I chose tennis.

I discovered that you won't be able to touch lives if you are just a free lance coach. So I came up with the idea of First Shot Academy and just as the name implies it is where we teach how to take first shot.

Que: Lawn tennis is known has an elite sport, how can it be brought to the street for those who are not elites?

I discovered that tennis is seen as the sport where the normal average Nigerian can not cope with but I said to myself if I can play football to the extent which I played to. I should also give chance to other people on the street. I have a boy in my academy who I picked from the street and he is doing well today, very soon in the next two year, you are going to hear about him.

I delve into the sport not because of money, actually, it has not been lucrative. I have spent a lot but I see it as investment. I spent a lot time online chatting with great coaches like Nat Okeke, and so many coaches. Okeke is a developmental tennis coach at the National Stadium, surulere, Lagos and also a lecturer at the National Institute of Sports (NIS). These are the people I engage time by time, talk with them on how to develop this sport and they have encouraged me that it is possible. When you see someone with a vision and the person is been supported, definitely, the sky is the limit.

Presently, the academy runs at Laspotech tennis club and it is open to anybody and even if you are not a member of the club and we have discovered talents.

By the grace of God, by March, three students of the academy will participate in the Central Bank of  Nigeria (CBN) Juniors this year and the academy is barely a year old.

Que: How can Nigeria produce a national champion that can compete in international competition?

If get you, you mean playing in the Grand Slam. What tennis is suffering is what every other sports are suffering to. We are all feeling the pain like in every other sports. For an example, if a Nigeria's player plays in professional league before you know he is in Europe. Aruna Quadri has represented the country for so long but he does not live in Nigeria so the same happen to player playing lawn tennis. Once a player is identified doing well, the next thing is scholarship that take the player abroad. To get national champion, what we need to do is to get sponsors that will support tennis. There are so many Nigerian in India, Qatar and many European countries playing beautiful tennis. But the thing is that when you call for national competition, and the winner goes home with what is encouraging having spent all his or her resources, the winner is at lost. 

But if we bring in sponsors who will start with the school games that when a player start playing from secondary school and he or she is sure of scholarship that help him or her through tertiary level, so why run abroad?

But some of the people that do sports don't have access to education, so when they have the opportunity of going abroad, they run away. So the solution is that sponsors that will put money and bring better innovation into the game so been given the opportunity to come in. I am sure if most of our players are given scholarship to complete their education in Nigeria, it won't be easy to abandon the sport. Let's bring sponsors and academic sector into it. Even parents will be relieved when they know that their ward are on scholarship. And that is my dream.

Que: How can Lawn tennis be incorporated into school sports ?

Someone like me and some new generation coaches have made up our mind that the basic thing is to develop the sport. We are working in conjunction with both private and public schools to see how we can encourage them to give students that represent the school in the game of tennis.

Que: So when will this project start?

Next year by the grace of God, we are going to start Ikorodu Junior to scout for champion within Ikorodu. The age ranges from 8-14. It is my idea and I spoke with other coaches which they have bought into it. The problem with sports is that we have given so much job for government to do. I think the private sector should be ready to assit.

Que: What have been the challenges since you started First shot?

There have been a lot challenges. The challenges have not been buying the kits but owning a facility to hold trainings but with my friends in Laspotech tennis club, they have been supportive.

Que: What has been your greatest moment since you started your coaching career?

I was touched when I took three of my students to National Stadium in Lagos where we had the Chevron and NNPC tennis clinic. When they were assessed about the way they played, the coach asked them where were they from and one my students said from Ikorodu and to the surprise, he asked do they play lawn tennis in Ikorodu and asked her where is your coach and she pointed at me and I was touched. That really encouraged me and I said to myself if our first outing could give me this audience. That alone have told me I am doing something.

Que: Why does lawn tennis use the word 'LOVE' on its score sheet?

Unlike in other sports, in tennis you don't get a yellow or red card. It is a game of love. It is mandatary that at the end of every game you shake your opponent. It is not a contact sport, I can't push you, you also can not push me. So why don't we start with love.

I felt if there are people out there who could not go to school, feed their families and they have strength, why don't I divert the their strength into positive use of sport and I chose tennis.