MEET SARAH ADEGOKE; THE FIRST LADY OF TENNIS
I had a chat with the number one female tennis player in Nigeria and it was inspiring. 19 year old Sarah Adegoke emerged the winner of the Rain Oil Tennis Masters Women’s Singles finals. This champion who has her eyes set on playing at the one of the Grand Slams is definitely one to watch.
I had actually met this young female tennis player before, it was in 2012, and I was a student at the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Lagos, Nigeria. At the time, she was younger and less experienced but well coached and trained by her father Mr. Adedapo Adegoke who was committed to her career development. It was also the year she came first runner up at the Women’s Singles final of the 34th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Open Tennis Championship. The championship was hosted by the National Sports Commission within the National Stadium Surulere where the NIS campus was located, thus it was easy for me to follow a lot of the games.
What struck me about Sarah Adegoke was the dedication her father gave to her development as a female tennis player right from the tennis courts of Ibadan where she grew up training at the Recreation Club Sabo under his watchful eye.
I asked her what challenges she had experienced as a young female tennis player in Nigeria She said that her greatest challenge had been trying hard to balance her tennis training and her academics, which had not been easy. She also pointed out the difficulties athletes in Nigeria face; “in Nigeria it is a big challenge to be an athlete because of lack of good equipment to train with and a lack of tennis infrastructure and a lack of tournament’s and sponsorship and such, It is a very big challenge, a lot of people don’t believe in female tennis, I have been trying hard to maintain my playing game and keep it going while still in school and the responsibilities I owe to my academics. I have been going to different tournaments and trying my best within and outside Nigeria and to the Glory of God I’ve been doing well.”
I couldn’t help but notice her Dad who also happened to be her tennis mentor and trainer was absent. I pointed it out, asking her why he didn’t come to the tournament and she said; “You need to know their age (both of us laughing at this point). My Dad is still a big part of my tennis development, but because of a number of factors like his ageing, bad knee, as well as the stress of travelling back and forth for tournaments he no longer travels with me to train me”.
I asked how she was feeling about the tournament, to which she replied; “I am very happy and proud of myself that I have come this far in the tournament because at the beginning of the tournament I wasn’t playing well because I hadn’t gotten into my rhythm, but I’m glad that I’ve gotten into the final and that I’ve been finding a way to win”
I proceeded to inquire how she felt about the final game ahead, and she said, “I feel good about the final because I’ve just won the toughest game I’ve played at this tournament so far in the semifinals (true because she had just defeated the number 1 seed Christie Agugbom), so I will be happy to do my best in the final”
Having ended the chat with this rising star, there was no doubt in my mind that Sarah Adegoke would win the final of the women’s singles Tennis Masters Tournament.
She eventually did, and I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations Sarah, keep soaring.
Written by Olufunlade Olumide