Nigerian descent table tennis player, Oladipupo Olayinka, participant in the ongoing WTT Contender Lagos 2023 has allayed that he is satisfied with his performance despite falling to an early exit as he concedes need for personal improvement.
The dominant right hand tennis player who is a policeman in the Nigerian force, also representing Edo State was knocked out by Ivorian Oba Kizito Oba losing all three set against his 178th ranked opponent on the opening game day of the WTT Contender Lagos 2023 at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall Lagos, Nigeria.
Coming off the back of a bruising game one, Oladipupo needed a quick response to stop the threat of an upset in its tracks, but he struggled to impose his authority at the table as Kizito took things up another gear, powering through games two and three with incredible composure to close out a spectacular 3-0 victory.
“I played Oba Kizito from Cote d’Ivoire and I lost the three sets, it was a tough match but I’m so glad because there wasn’t any pressure of any sort. I gave my best, this is sport and anything can happen, it was a tight contest which I lost but I’m happy with my overall performance.”
“One major thing that counts for my opponent is the fact that he has more exposure than I have. The last time I played an international tournament, it was 2019 and he has been playing around the world.”
“Table tennis is about exposure, the more you play, the more you get accurate and have a better understanding of the game and that worked well for him as an edge over me,” he admitted.
Assessing the organization of the WTT Contender Lagos Championship – “the tables are top-notch, the enclosure, the floor is perfect, they (organizers) made sure that everything was well in place for this world tournament and they deserve to be applauded for putting up such a nice atmosphere and perfect setting for the competition.”
“I love what I have seen so far, especially participants from far Europe making it down to Africa, To Nigeria to come and compete, it’s nice.”
Giving insight on what’s next after the shock exit – “surely, I won’t relent, I won’t stop at my practice to get better because there are lots of upcoming tournaments that I will be participating in this year. So, I will use this time to get back to work and not rest as much as I thought so that I will be ready when the competition finally begins.”
“I will watch the best in the game, Aruna Quadri, Olajide Omotayo who are waving the Nigerian flag high, get on Youtube, watch videos and practice and learn from them, that’s how to be outstanding. It’s been a good ride despite the fact that I crashed out early, but there are still fights ahead which I want to prepare well to face so that I will come out victorious.”
