Sadiq Abdullahi

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameAbubakar Sadiq•Abdullahi
Used nameSadiq•Abdullahi
Born2 February 1960 in Jos, Plateau (NGR)
NOC Nigeria

Biography

Dr. Sadiq Abubakar Abdullahi was a Nigerian tennis player and professor. Abdullahi played tennis from 1983 to 1989, achieving his highest singles ranking of 262 in the world in October 1985. Abdullahi’s first involvement with tennis was when he was 10. Abdullahi would climb over the fence of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club and earn money by picking up the balls. His father did not approve, as it impacted on his son’s early education, but he eventually went on to graduate from Kufena College.

Abdullahi won the Nigerian National Championships on three consecutive occasions (1986–88). In 1987, Abdullahi defeated Tony Mmoh, the Nigerian number-two-seed, at the Kenya Open ATP Challenger. The following year he reached the semi-finals of the Okada Challenger tournament in Kenya, losing to fellow countryman Nduka Odizor. Abdullahi competed in the singles tournament at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, losing to Javier Sánchez Vicario of Spain in the opening round.

Abdullahi retired from playing tennis in 1989 and joined the management company Peter Burwash International. Abdullahi went to the Doral Resort and Country in Miami where Arthur Ashe was the international tennis director. Abdullahi was the head of coaching and worked closely with Ashe until his death in 1993. Afterwards he stopped his tennis coaching to become a teacher and educator.

Abdullahi became a professor and taught in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Florida International University. After setting up the Nigerian Tennis Foundation in 2008, Abdullahi co-founded Tennis Vision 2035, an organisation for young athletes.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1988 Summer Olympics Tennis NGR Sadiq Abdullahi
Singles, Men (Olympic) =33