Quadri needs a competent assistant to make progress at ITTF World Cup, says Obisanya

Former National Table Tennis coach, Mr. Babatunde Obisanya, has described Aruna Quadri’s feat at the recent International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup held in Agadir, Morocco, as a commendable one.

Quadri defeated Egypt’s Omar Assar to win the men’s singles title and will now represent the continent at the ITTF World Cup later in the year.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Obisanya said Quadri’s performance shows that the player is maturing in the game as he participates more in competitions.

“Quadri put up very good performance at the African Cup in Morocco and I want to commend him for that. It was a solo effort and I think by now he is maturing in the game.

Quadri was able to see himself through may be due to the standard of play at the African level. But I do not think he will be able to do that when he meets some of the top players at the world level. For him to improve at that stage, he needs a capable assistant that will help him see what others may not be able to see against opponents.

“The assistance may help him advance in his game because that is what one can never achieve without a capable coach. Not just somebody who will be there shouting play but a real technical support. That is exactly what the former president of the federation, Mr. Wahid Enitan Oshodi, did when he was around,” he said.

The former head coach of the federation suggested that former African champion, Segun Toriola, as his choice of an assistant for Quadri at the World Cup.

“If I have my way somebody like Segun Toriola will be the one to give him the needed instructions against some of these top rated players at the World Cup and he will come out better for it.

“Bringing in a good assistant is not a guarantee that everything will go well accordingly. One should bear in mind that somebody ranked lower can spring a surprise and send one packing if there was no enough preparation for a major competition.

“But it will get to a level where you will need all the support morally, technically and financially for a player to excel. Unfortunately, we operate in a system where it is only when an athlete performs that he or she is being celebrated. This is a bad development,” he stated .