By Ado Salisu
Team Nigeria has settled in Rabat, Morocco, and intensified preparations ahead of the highly anticipated Davis Cup World Group II tie against the host nation.
The Nigeria Tennis Federation contingent, which departed Lagos in the early hours of Monday, arrived in the Moroccan capital ahead of the two-day clash scheduled for September 19–20 at the Union Sportive des Cheminots de Tennis du Maroc.
Led by the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Shammah Aliyu Makpa, the team wasted no time in commencing its preparation routine.
The early arrival is aimed at allowing the players to acclimatise to the weather, adjust to the court surface and prepare mentally for the encounter.
The players in camp are Daniel Adeleye, Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel and Yusuf Abubakar, under the guidance of Head Coach Benson Ishicheli.
The team was initially expected to be strengthened by US Open and Roland Garros junior star Oluwaseun Ogunsakin.
However, his arrival in Rabat to join the squad is now doubtful due to circumstances beyond his control.
Team Nigeria had its first feel of the match court on Monday with a light evening training session at the Union Sportive des Cheminots de Tennis du Maroc.
The tempo has since increased, with daily morning and afternoon sessions scheduled as the technical crew fine-tunes tactics and doubles pairings.
Speaking on the team’s readiness, Shammah Aliyu expressed confidence in the players’ mental and physical preparation ahead of the tie, while appreciating the support of the nation’s sports authorities and private partners.
“I want to first of all, on behalf of the Tennis Federation, appreciate the leadership of the National Sports Commission, Chairman Malam Shehu Dikko and Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade for making this possible.
They have been supporting us since day one. Their financial and moral support has been one of our motivating factors. I must admit that they are the main source of the improvement we are experiencing in our federation today.
“I want to also appreciate the Country Club of Lagos for allowing us to use their facilities for over three weeks camping in Lagos,” he said.
He added: “Yes, preparations are in top gear now as you can see. The team is here early enough to prepare and acclimatise with the weather.
“The technical crew and everyone here are doing their work to ensure that the team is ready mentally, physically and emotionally before the clash.
“We know it won’t be an easy task, but we are also equal to the challenge. This is another opportunity for us to break the jinx because we have never defeated Morocco in the Davis Cup before.
“If we can qualify for this stage after over 30 years of waiting, then I will say it’s still possible to defeat Morocco and qualify for the Davis Cup World Group I,” he declared.
The tie carries significant importance for Nigerian tennis. Nigeria has lost all four of its previous Davis Cup encounters against Morocco, making the current meeting an opportunity for the team to seek its first victory over the North African nation.
Nigeria secured its place in the World Group II playoff after a hard-fought victory over Uzbekistan in February, ending more than three decades of waiting to reach this stage.
With match day approaching, Team Nigeria remains focused on discipline, unity and execution as it targets a historic first win over Morocco and qualification for the Davis Cup World Group I.