How I combine tennis with studies – 11-year-old world champion

Nigeria’s Musa Mustapha, an 11-year-old table tennis player, is world’s best in the boys’ under-11 cadet category. He is the second African to achieve this feat, with 128 points, according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). In this interview, the Borno State indigene and Junior Secondary School (JSS) 3 student of Al-faizun Academy, Abuja, said Nigerians should expect more from him.

Daily Trust: When did you start playing table tennis?

Musa Mustapha: I started playing at the age of 7

DT: What informed your choice of the sport?

Mustapha: The people around me encouraged me to like the sport.

DT: What do you love most about table tennis?

Mustapha: What I really love about table tennis is the fun I have while playing. I love table tennis beyond imagination

DT: Who is your role model?

Mustapha: Quadri Aruna.

DT: How do you combine your studies with table tennis?

Mustapha: There is time for everything. When it is time for me to go to school, I go to school. When I am back from school, I have some rest, train, do my assignments and get ready for the next day. And in terms of travelling, when I travel for tournaments and I get back to school, all my teachers would teach me all the topics I missed in class. DT: How do you prepare for matches?

Mustapha: Before playing a match, I always think on how to defeat my opponent with all my strategies and game plans.

DT: Do you get discouraged when you are losing?

Mustapha: Sometimes when I am losing, I get discouraged, but I have to keep working hard.

DT: What would be your most memorable moment in table tennis?

Mustapha: My most memorable moment was the time I met the minister of sports and sat down close to him and talked. DT: How satisfied are you with your performance in the last tournament you attended? Mustapha: I was happy, but not too happy. I am still looking forward to playing my next tournament to see that I make myself a better player.

DT: You are currently rated top 20 in under15 and under-13, and ultimately, world’s number 1, under 11 years of age. What are you doing to keep improving your rating?

Mustapha: It is always training and discipline that would make me achieve what I want.

DT: How do you relate with your classmates? Do they recognise you as a table tennis star?

Mustapha: I always make sure I stay positive with everyone around me. I do not know if they all see me as a table tennis star. But even if they do not see me as a table tennis star, I will always see myself as one, and an upcoming star

DT: Do you coach or engage your schoolmates in school on the game of table tennis?

Mustapha: I gist with some of my schoolmates about table tennis and they ask me some questions as well.

DT: How much support do you get from your family?

Mustapha: My family gives me 40per cent of the support, while the Almighty Allah gives me 60per cent of the support I need. These are always the two main supports a human being would need in his life.

DT: What is your advice to other young table tennis players in Nigeria?

Mustapha: They should train and keep working hard.