.China, India contingents arrive
By Our
Reporter
AFTER spending his first year as an undergraduate student
at New York University in United States, 19-year-old Indian sensation, Mudit
Dani has decided to take a foray into the senior cadre when he competes at the
ITTF Challenge Seamaster Nigeria Open.
Also on Tuesday, the contingents of India and China are
expected to touch down in Lagos in readiness for the qualifying round of the
championship holding on August 8 to 12 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of
Teslim Balogun Stadium.
In 2017 when Mudit Dani was studying Management in US,
Mudit Dani was away from international scene but he was active as an
undergraduate in his school.
Mudit Dani, a former ITTF Junior Circuit champion will be
playing his first senior tournament in Lagos come August 8 to 12 but he is
unperturbed by the pedigree of stars heading to Nigeria.
“Yes this is my first ever appearance on ITTF’s 3 tier
Professional Platform (Challenge Series/World Tour/Platinum Tour) and I would
like to thank Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) for giving me this
opportunity,” he said.
Speaking on what he knew about Nigeria Open, Mudit Dani
said: “Talking to the Indian players who played at last year’s Nigeria Open, I
heard that it is one of the best events to play at. The stands are full of loud
and enthusiastic supporters that appreciate and understand table tennis. They
are extremely proud of their Nigerian players but also show a lot of love and
support to international players – something that is not so common at other
world events. In short, they make you feel warm and encourage you to do your
best, and I can’t wait to play in front of them.”
Reeling out his exploit as a junior player, the Indian
star said: “Thanks to TTFI, I represented India at 16 World Junior Circuit
events where I won 20 medals (3 Gold, 5 Silver, and 12 Bronze) in singles,
doubles and teams events. I was ranked as high as number 10 on the ITTF World
Junior Boys’ Standings and qualified twice for the ITTF World Junior Circuit
Grand Finals (an invitational event for the top 16 players at the end of the
year).”
Explaining how he got the chance to be part of the Indian
team to Lagos, Mudit Dani said: “With India’s top few players preparing for the
Asian Games in August, the next few players including some young upcoming
players have been given a chance to play at the Nigeria Open. This would be the
perfect chance for us to prove ourselves on the world platform and gain
experience of playing on the senior circuit.”
Despite the pedigree of players competing at this year’s
Nigeria Open, Mudit Dani said: “I just received a confirmation of my
participation a few hours ago, and the excitement hasn’t completely sunk in
yet. To be very honest, I haven’t gone through the list of players very closely
just as yet, but I can see that many high ranked players are coming.
“Finishing on the podium would be a dream comes true in
my first senior event, but my main aim for this event would be to express
myself and play to my potential against the best of the best in the world. Just
competing and interacting with players I have grown up watching on YouTube and
TV is going to be a fantastic experience. I think I will be coming in with no
expectations as the famous saying goes “expectation is the mother of all
frustration.” Being my first senior event, I just hope to be able to bring out
my A-game, play hard, yet fair and soak in this valuable experience.
Irrespective of results, this tournament will surely be a very special few days
in Lagos. I can’t wait to get started.”
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