Daily Independent Online.
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Monday, July 26, 2004.
The future of tennis is with blacks -Takpa
Anthony Abolo, Jr.
Reporter, Lagos
Togolese born ITF Development Officer for
West and Central Africa Achille Takpa has
said that the future of
tennis lies with the blackman. He made this declaration last week on the first day of the second leg of
the on- going ITF|CAT West and Central Africa 13 and under circuit currently
going on at the National Stadium,
Surulere, Lagos. “The slave raiders came to Africa because they know that
Africans are tough and strong and
can work.The black man has the strength and can do better than the Europeans.It
started with Arthur Ashe and today,we have Serena and Venus Williams.”
He said that for
the last 22 years that he had
worked for the ITF,he had worked with Boris Becker and Amelio Mauresmo
and was convinced that Africans can do better.In his opinion,
African tennis can develop to the
standard it has reached in Europe and the rest of the world if we adopt a sound
developmental programme over a
long period of time adding that Africans
can do far better than what the rest of the world was doing.
He said “what Africa needs is
sound developmental programmes and solid structures that would help to lay the foundation for future
generations.We need strong federations all over Africa and better co-
ordination such that within a short time, we could begin to see Africans in the
Grand Slams. Africans who would not just go there to play but eventually
become world champions.”
Takpa said he was gladdened to see young
children at the circuit which was the first in Nigeria and that he had a lot of
hope that it would materialise into something great for the game in Africa and also that he was confident of the
ability of Africans to develop and compete with the rest of the world
“I know that sometimes as Africans ,
we suffer from inferiority complex especially when we have to compete with the
Europeans.But, if we continue to train our young children through very good and
strong developmental programmes,to give them confidence, they would achieve a lot”.
In his opinion, Africans should start to
train and prepare young children
early enough because that was the
only way out. In Europe, children start playing at the age of six but in Africa we start at twelve or even
later.This is what we are trying to change and I thank God that Nigeria is
leading in this direction and I am ready to work with and give all necessary assistance to Nigeria
and other African countries ”he said declaring that sports development was not so much about money
but about training,programmes, strategy and planning.He recalled that he once
went to Egypt for a championship and saw that the standard was so high and comparable
with what was obtainable in Europe in terms of organisation and said “we
can do better in West and Central Africa which is the seat of the black
man.”
Takpa disclosed that he was particularly
impressed with the wheelchair tennis programme he had seen in Nigeria and
promised that he would continue to support and introduce it wherever he went in Africa.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Tennis Federation
has provided the wheelchair tennis department with office accommodation and
furniture to enhance its activities.This was disclosed by Frank Tarmena a coach
with the Nigeria Tennis Federation.With this development, the wheelchair tennis
department has become fully operational having been registered as a full member
of the international body, International
Wheelchair Tennis Federation (IWTF).
