Treat Me Or I Miss African Games – Quadri Tells Nigeria (AUDIO)

Newly crowned 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open champion Aruna Quadri has sensationally revealed that he could be forced to sit out the 2019 African Games if he doesn’t get treatment for niggling injuries that have troubled him throughout this year.

Africa’s top-ranked player and number one seed at the event successfully retained the crown he won last year when he beat Austria’s Robert Gardos 4-2 (15-13, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-1) in front of a raucous home crowd at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Sunday.

Speaking after the victory which saw him become the first player to retain the title since Egypt’s Omar Assar in 2015, Quadri who pocketed $7,000 for the win revealed that he has been struggling with injuries and have had to play through the pain barrier in all three tennis tournaments played in Lagos in the past fortnight.

The player who celebrated his 31st birthday in the course of the tournament on Friday said participating in the African Games which is scheduled for Morocco from the 19th to 31st of August without a full recuperation from his injuries would jeopardize his chances of starting the new season with his Portuguese club.

The ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open Men’s Singles champion suggested that the onus now lies with the country to ensure he gets the treatment he needs to regain full fitness in time for the African Games where Nigeria are the defending champions in the men’s table tennis team event.     

“I, personally, am injured, I’ve been playing with pain so for me to be ready for the All Africa Games I really need some kind of treatment,” Quadri told busybuddiesng.com.

“Nigeria needs to take good care of me because I’ve been representing Nigeria for eleven days non-stop, if I can be taken good care of, of course, I’m going to be ready for the African Games, if not probably I’m going to be on the bench. 

“I think I need to see some specialists to get myself very well. I need to recover fully well if not I won’t be able to take part for my team next season in Portugal,” he added.