Christian Paul looks beyond quarterfinal berth
In 2016, Christian Paul played his best game to make it to the quarterfinal and semifinal stage of singles and doubles events and with few days to the 2018 Lagos Open Tennis Championship, the former national junior star believes he could change his 2016 feat.
The 23-year-old told NationSport yesterday that he was in confident mood for the tournament while affirming his intention to make it to the top spot.
“There is no doubt that this is the biggest tournament we all look forward to every year because it helps to garner a ranking point. This year I am in shape to exceed my quarterfinal berth which has been my best in the singles, while my partnership with Moses Michael got to the last four in the men’s doubles. I have put this behind me and I am focusing on doing more than this and I am indeed hopeful that I can fulfil my dream of playing in the final,” he said.
He, however, lamented the lack of support for local players, which he said has adversely affected their fortune in the competition since its inception. “How can you imagine that by October, we have only featured in two tournaments this year, while some of the foreign players have featured in more than 10 tournaments in 2018? Even when they leave Nigeria, they are heading to another competition. How do you expect us to compete against these players who are in the best form of their lives? But as usual, we will give our best with the hope of lifting the fortune of Nigeria. But I must admit that it is not going to be an easy ride for Nigerian players,” he added.
47 countries have already been confirmed for this year’s tournament as players from nations like United States, United Kingdom (UK), Slovakia, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Cameroon, India, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Ecuador, Poland, Thailand, Egypt, Serbia, Mexico and a host of others are coming to Lagos.
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