He is ranked 20th in the world and Africa’s Number 1, Aruna Quadri is set for a new adventure in Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) in Germany after his long sojourn in Portugal.
His arrival in the top European League has generated huge excitement and many German table tennis aficionados cannot wait to watch him make his debut on Sunday for his new club – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell.
Quadri is already a familiar face to many German fans following his exploits at the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany and coupled with the famous win over German superstar Timo Boll at Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Many were skeptical in February when the TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell announced they had secured the services of the Oyo State-born athlete but there has been so much buzz in the last one month as many eagerly await his debut in the German Bundesliga.
Even before the kick-off of the new TTBL season, organisers of the league have admitted that the arrival of the Nigerian has increased interest.
President of TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Stefan Frauenholz, said Quadri’s arrival would boost followership.
“TTC is confident about the new season; Quadri Aruna is a world Top 20 player. The Nigerian has not lost a game in Portugal in six years. He plays very attractive table tennis and I think fans will enjoy him a lot,” Frauenholz said.
Speaking in the same vein, spokesperson of TTBL Patrick Wichmann, noted that Quadri’s transfer to the Bundesliga has attracted the attention of table tennis fans in Germany.
“We are very happy to have Quadri in the TTBL. As a league, we have felt the national interest which his transfer has attracted, including international media response,” explained Wichmann. “Quadri is a global table tennis brand; we are very happy to have him in the TTBL and looking forward to his debut this month.
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“In TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell he is replacing Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar, who played two seasons with the team. Now it will be exciting to see how fast Quadri gets used to the action in the strongest league in Europe,” Wichmann added.
But it has taken a long route for Quadri to arrive at the world stage starting from his humble beginning in the ancient Oyo town with some twists and turns along the way.
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