Despite putting Nigeria on the world map at several occasions, Africa’s highest ranked table
tennis player, Aruna Quadri is pleading for support for him to hire a coach ahead of the
2017 ITTF World Cup billed for Liege, Belgium later in the year.
Quadri who has consistently been inking his name in the annals of African table tennis
history, as the first African to make it to the quarter-final of the Olympic Games as well as the first player from the continent to make it to the semifinal of the ITTF World Tour.
Being his second consecutive appearance at the ITTF World Cup, a pained Quadri said: “I am
actually getting used to playing without a coach because I have no sponsor. Since I have no
sponsor in order to have a coach, I just have to play alone. I can say that a coach is very,
very important but since I have no support, I just have to keep on playing alone.”
“Actually, if I am not ready to play in the Bulgaria Open, I wouldn’t come along. But I am
here because I am ready to play without a coach. If I had a coach, it would be even better
of course,” he added.
Quadri attributed her victory against Japan’s Yuto Kizukuri in the round of 16 of Bulgaria
Open as sheer luck.
“I think I have been really lucky in this tournament. It was my best match I was 6-3 down in
the last set but luckily I won. I gained some confidence from the round of 16 match. I have
something really important happening here and I am very happy,” he said.
He however, pleaded with his fans over the disappointment at Nigeria Open.
“I cannot actually say that Nigeria Open was a big disappointment for my fans but at the
same time it is one of the things that normally happen in sports. For me it is meant to
buckle me up. I thought it is possible to do so much better and anything can truly happen,”
Quadri said.
It would be recalled that the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung promised to support Aruna
Quadri for the World Cup but the 2014 ITTF Star Player is still waiting on the minister to
fulfill his promises.
