From December 22 to 26, 2021, the 42nd edition of the national tennis championship took place at the Bamako Tennis club. At the end of the competition, Seydou Diallo (Ligue de Bamako) won against Abdoulaye Bagayoko (Ligue de Bamako) in men’s singles and became the champion of Mali for the third time in a row. 16
The closing ceremony was chaired by Amadou Togola, vice-president of the Malian Tennis Federation (FMT), in the presence of its secretary general, Amadou Dicko and Adama Mallé, president of the Sikasso tennis league. This 42nd edition of the national tennis championship brought together 128 athletes including 41 girls from the leagues of Kayes, Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti and the district of Bamako. The athletes competed in the following events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles in the minimum, cadet, junior and senior categories.
The men’s singles final pitted two regulars on the court, namely Seydou Diallo, several times champion of Mali and Abdoulaye Bagayoko, one of the best tennis players. This duel was won by Seydou Diallo against Abdoulaye Bagayoko by two sets to 0 (6/1 and 6/1).
The winner was entitled to a trophy plus a sum of 200,000 FCFA. He received his trophy from the vice-president of the Malian Tennis Federation. As for the loser, he consoled himself with a sum of 100,000 FCFA. He received his envelope from the president of the Sikasso Tennis League.
In the morning, the women’s singles final was won by Aïchata Kéita against Fatoumata Kéita by two sets to 0 (6/1 and 6/2). As for the junior final, it was won by Kankou Kéita to the detriment of Daffa Kanté. Young Seydou Fall won against M’Boua Diaby in the boys’ cadet final. The final of the senior men’s double was won by the duo Seydou Diallo and Abdoulaye Bagayoko against the couple Boubacar Dia and Aly Bah by two sets to 0 (6/0 and 7/5).
At the end of the competition, Amadou Togola, vice-president of the Malian Tennis Federation, said he was very happy with the good organization of this 42nd edition of the national tennis championship. “We have just witnessed a very nice meeting between the two best in the discipline in Mali. I take the opportunity to congratulate them for their brilliant performance throughout the competition. You all know that with this Covid-19 pandemic all sports activities have been impacted, including tennis. Despite this, we were able to organize this competition by changing the format, but also by respecting the barrier measures decreed by the country’s health authorities ”, he explained.
Mahamadou Traore
Seydou Diallo: A safe bet in Malian tennis
Considered one of the best tennis players in Mali, Seydou Diallo collects medals. Thanks to his tactical genius, he was able to impose himself and forge his own path to rise to the level of the greats of African tennis. Today, it occupies the first place in the national ranking and the n ° 1315 in the ranking of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Seydou Diallo was born in Bamako on November 27, 1995 in a family of tennis players. “Tennis is a family affair with us, almost all of my uncles and brothers played tennis. Every evening, I accompanied my big brother, Amadou Diallo, former champion of Mali to the Tennis club of Bamako where I collected the balls for them. From the age of 9, he gave me the racquet to train with him. During the youth competitions, I started to record results and immediately the Malian Tennis Federation integrated me into the minimal national team ”, he said.
From a young age, Seydou Diallo ignites the lessons. He won numerous national and international competitions in lower categories: minimal, cadet and junior, before playing his first senior match in 2015. During his career in the lower categories, he won several medals.
Nationally, he holds four league titles in the minimal category (2005-2009), two league titles in the junior category (2010-2011) and also two league titles in the junior category (2012-2013) ).
At the sub-regional and African levels, he won one title from the ITF (International Tennis Federation), Circuit in Benin and four titles from (CAT) Prize Money International.
Visit to ITF Morocco Center
In 2013, Seydou Diallo participated in his first ATP tournament in Gabon. He performed very well and joined the ATP ranking at only 18 years old. Thanks to this performance, the Malian Tennis Federation found him a training course at the prestigious ITF Center (International Tennis Federation) in Morocco.
“When I joined the center, I had participated in several international competitions, winning several trophies and medals. Between 2013 and 2015, I participated in several African competitions like Togo F2 R-32 ATP, Togo F1 R-16 ATP. In June 2015, I won the gold medal at the Prize Money Senegal 2015 tournament. That same year, I reached the eighth finals of the South Korea University Games. I was semi-finalist of the RUC Tournament in Morocco. A few months later, I won the Open Acsa in Morocco trophy. At the end of 2015, I participated in three major international competitions such as Morocco F3 R-16 ATP, Egypt F19 R-1/4 ATP, Egypt F18 R-16 ATP ”, he said.
Back home, after his training course, the young athlete continues to grab the trophies. He is winner of the Burkina Faso Open in Koudougou and winner of the Open athletic Club of Abidjan, semi-finalist of the 5th edition of the Cotonou Open, semi-finalist of the TFA Open in Abidjan. In 2019, he won the Burkina Faso Open in Ouagadougou and reached the final of the 6th edition of the Cotonou Open. From 2018 to 2020, he is the reigning champion of Mali.
Notwithstanding these performances, the reigning champion of Mali aims to go very far. “I aim to win several trophies and medals for Mali to show the world that we have talented athletes at home. At the end of my career, I aim to become a great tennis coach in order to share my experiences with young athletes ”, he suggests.
Like athletes from other disciplines in Mali, Seydou Diallo has had a lot of difficulties in his career. One of them was the non-accompaniment by the Malian Tennis Federation to participate in international competitions. “The best players were selected all over Africa to go for a training course at the ATP Center in Morocco. There, we receive quality training, but the participation of each player in international tournaments is supported by his federation. My other African colleagues from the center regularly participated in international tournaments, unfortunately for me, every time I approached the Malian Tennis Federation, the officials said that they had no means to ensure my participation. And I know it’s not a refusal, they really have no way. Moreover, I take this opportunity to ask everyone, especially the large local companies, to sponsor young athletes so that they can hoist the national colors high ”, he insists.
Note that Seydou Diallo wishes to continue to represent Mali in international competitions. One of his goals is to one day win medals in the biggest tennis competitions in the world. Beyond these objectives, he aims to become a great tennis coach after his athletic career in order to support young athletes.
Mahamadou Traore
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