Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, the No. 2 seed at the 2024 ITTF Africa Championships, has withdrawn from the men’s singles event due to a thigh injury and fatigue.
Despite leading Nigeria to victory in the team event against Algeria on October 14, Aruna was unable to continue in his second-round singles match against Benin Republic’s Dodji Fanny.
Explaining his decision to pull out, Aruna said, “I’ve been playing in various tournaments for the past two months, often in different time zones. I was in India, Macau, China, and then Saudi Arabia for league matches. After a brief rest at home, I went to the French League for a training camp. Immediately after, I traveled to Ethiopia, which was exhausting. The high altitude in Addis Ababa made it even harder to acclimatize.”
He revealed that he began experiencing pain during the team event: “I felt pain in my buttock and tightness in my hamstring. It’s crucial to rest now to avoid worsening the injury.”
With a busy schedule ahead, including two more WTT Champions events and leagues in Saudi Arabia and France, Aruna stressed the need for recovery to prevent further injury.
“I need to rest to ensure I don’t aggravate the injury,” he said.
Although sidelined from singles play, Aruna will remain with the Nigerian team to support the younger players before departing Addis Ababa with them this weekend.
