Nigerian tennis player Oyinlomo Quadre says women’s sport is on the rise because women are breaking free from the social and cultural norms and are beginning to believe in themselves more, but believes there is more to be done.
At 4, Quadre started started playing tennis and is currently the highest ranked Nigerian in the WTA women’s single category.
In 2016, she was chosen to represent her country at the Africa Junior Tennis Championships and also won the ITF/CAT U-16 Championship in Togo.
Earlier this year, the superstar tennis player announced that she will be playing College tennis and continue with her studies at the Florida International University, in the United States of America.
Speaking with Oarabile Diphoko, the 19-year old talks about finding the balance between her studies and tennis, overcoming injuries and reveals her greatest ambition.
Oyinlomo, thank you so much for taking time out to chat to us! Please tell us about yourself and where you are from.
My name is Oyinlomo Quadre, a Nigerian tennis player and I am from Kwara State, Nigeria.
When did your journey in tennis start?
I started playing tennis at the age of 4 and that was all thanks to my siblings. They used to play tennis professionally, and I was pretty attached to my sister, so I spent a lot of time with her on court.
You are now studying at the Florida International University in the United States. Tell us a little more about your move and what this mean for your tennis career.
This was a tough decision for me because I took two gap years upon completion of high school to focus on playing professionally, but couldn’t because for circumstances that I could not control. I was hesitant about going to college because I thought that was the end of my tennis but that has proven to be the opposite for me so far as I have been able to stay competitive and I am looking forward to trying to play some professional tournaments this summer again.
How do you find the balance between staying committed to your studies and being a professional tennis player?
Finding the balance between school and tennis is one of the difficult things athletes face, college tennis is the answer to that. College tennis helps you combine both worlds, it is definitely not an easy route but that’s why there’s a saying; “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Before going to college, I was also able to combine tennis and school by doing an online schooling system that gave me flexibility that I needed to keep playing tennis actively.
What are some of your career highlights to date?
I am the kind of girl to celebrate every win, small or big, but home is always special to heart so for my career highlight I would say playing the quarterfinals at the Lagos Open 25k. This was on home soil, at the tennis club I grew up in and I was 16 years old then.
What are some of the toughest things you’ve had to overcome so far in your playing career?
I would have to say the problem with visas as a Nigerian which made it difficult for me to even compete in some important tournaments and also injuries. Injuries are athletes’ worst nightmare and I have had my fair share of them; this is also one of the reasons why my gap years aimed at playing more in the WTA circuit didn’t work.
With women’s sport on the rise, especially with 2023 being The Year of Women’s Sport, what more can we do to elevate women in sport?
Honestly, women’s sport is on the rise because women are breaking free from the social and cultural norms and are beginning to believe in themselves more but there is more to be done. Personally, I would take women’s sport development to the grassroots, there are still parents out there who are still ignorant to the fact that sport is a career path and there are still talents being wasted because they aren’t even aware the talent is useful. So to me, there should be more women empowerment programs in Nigeria and specifically the under privileged areas.
Which women in sport inspire you and why?
The Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) are the biggest inspiration I have in sport and that is because of their attitude towards life generally, how Serena became the legend of tennis in a white dominated sport, how Venus keeps playing on tour at the age of 42 even if people keep saying she is too old, how Serena came back after childbirth to play in multiple grand slam finals in one year, and many more inspiring records broken by them all while staying true to themselves and the black community as a whole.
What’s your advice to women who aspire to be in the sport industry?
My advice would be to keep working hard because no matter what they hope for, it is a marathon not a race.
What is your biggest career ambition?
Winning the Wimbledon grand slam someday!!
Photo 1 Caption: Nigerian tennis player Oyinlomo Quadre says women’s sport is on the rise because women are breaking free from the social and cultural norms and are beginning to believe in themselves more, but believes there is more to be done. Photo: Supplied
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