Kano Dala Hard Court tourney waxing stronger

The tournament which began its journey in the national tennis circuit in 1983 has served among other purpose the nurturing of many future stars in the game.From the winner of the maiden edition in the men and ladies singles, David Imonitie and Rolanke Olagbegi respectively to the defending champions in both titles Clifford Enosoregbe and […]

The tournament which began its journey in the national tennis circuit in 1983 has served among other purpose the nurturing of many future stars in the game.
From the winner of the maiden edition in the men and ladies singles, David Imonitie and Rolanke Olagbegi respectively to the defending champions in both titles Clifford Enosoregbe and Blessing Samuel the tournament has survived the harsh economic condition in the country to stay afloat due to the doggedness of the organising committee.
The tournament has had the best of times with major oil firms and banking institutions bankrolling the competition. It has also witnessed continuous improvement in the number of participating players from within and outside the shore of the country.
According to most of the players who have participated in several editions of the tournament, it is one of the best organised in terms of players’ welfare and prize money.
The prize money has increased steadily from the N30,000 for the men singles and N15,000 for the ladies singles title prize money in the median edition in 1983 to N800,000 and N500,000  in the 28th edition of the tournament.
Speaking to SHOT!, the longest serving organising secretary of Dala Hard Court main organising committee and Technical Director of the tournament, Mr. Bola Ogunkoya said it is of note that the competition has been able to live up to its billing by sustaining the dream of its founding fathers.
According to Ogunkoya the tournament has become the centre point for tennis players in the country who look forward to the competition yearly because of the conducive atmosphere available each time the tournament is staged.
He said his only regret is that despite the huge investment by the organisers, the quality of local players who take part in the tournament leaves much to be desired.
He said it is quite unfortunate that since the exit of Nduka Udozor from the international circuit no other player has risen to the occasion to take his place.
“So much has been put into hosting this tournament on yearly basis. However, the quality of players has dropped. Each year, we keep seeing the same players.
“Since the exit of Nduka Odizor, we are yet to get a Nigerian tennis player in the international circuit. This is a big challenge which the Nigeria Tennis Federation should take seriously,” he said.
Abdulmumin Babalola the player with the highest number of singles titles in the tournament, five in all, said he is happy and honoured to be the most successful Dala Hard Court player.
Babalola said the tournament has always attracted the best players in the country because of the way the organisers treat the players with respect and attractive welfare packages.
“Dala Hard Court to me is the most cherished by tennis players in the country. You can see the number of players who register anually for the preliminaries of the competition. This is so because the accommodation of all the players is taken care of by the organisers.
“I must also tell you that the prize money has its own effect on the players morale. Despite the security challenges, if you come to Dala Hard Court tournament venue you will meet Nigerians from across the country.
“The organisers have done so well with the yearly increment in the prize money. I pray they continue sustaining it because the competition remains the best in the country,” Babalola noted.
The incumbent secretary of the Main Organising Committee, Alhaji Yusuf  Datti, said he is happy that the competition has been able to bring out the best in Nigeria tennis players just as he hopes for greater improvement.
According to Datti, the tournament which began on a low note in the early 80s remains the only surviving tennis tournament that has been consistent on the national calendar of tennis events.
“What keeps us going is the fact that we are committed to the survival of the tournament and we are happy that the competition has come on stronger than it was in the beginning. The players’ package has improved greatly and we have no record of any act of indiscipline in the tournament. We are happy with the players just as they are happy with us.
“I will also commend our sponsors for their unflinching support all these years. Their firm belief in us has made it possible for us to make the tournament what the players look forward to every year”.
“Though we have participants from other countries from time to time, the tournament is yet to become fully international. The plan is still in the pipeline. It will happen as soon as we have the desired sponsors.
“The future is certainly bright. Most of our players now play in international tournaments, which to us is a step forward though much still needs to be done with regards to ladies tennis,” he said.
He said that it is gratifying to note that both Abdulmumuni Babalola and Shehu Lawal who have won the singles titles five and four times respectively are taking part in the 28th edition even as he disclosed that absentee Fatima Abinu holds the ladies singles record with six titles.
  As stated earlier, the winner of men’s singles title will go home today with N800,000 while the runners up will pocket N400,000.The ladies singles title winner and the runners up will have N500,000 and N250,000 as their prize money while the men’s doubles winners and the runners up will pocket N400,000 and N200,000 respectively.
Dala Hard Court tournament will draw the curtain on this year’s tennis competitions in the country.