Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre speaks to us about her inspirations, her drive and the challenges she’s faced on her path to becoming one of Africa’s brightest sports talents.
At just 22, Nigerian tennis star Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre lives by discipline, sacrifice, and an unwavering passion for tennis. From picking up a racquet at the age of four to training at an elite academy in Morocco by eleven. Quadre’s journey has been anything but ordinary. She speaks with maturity that reflects the years she’s spent travelling the world. She represents not only herself but an entire continent on the court. Through every forehand, setback, and serve, she’s remained grounded in her identity. As a young Nigerian woman with dreams of global greatness, she strives daily to make them real.
In this exclusive interview, Quadre shares the defining moments that pushed her to pursue tennis professionally. She opens up about the mental toll of competing away from home and her ongoing efforts to balance academics with athletics in the United States. Quadre shares her experience with loneliness on tour to reflecting on her deep connection to her roots. Through it all, Quadre’s purpose remains clear.
How long have you been playing tennis?
I have been playing tennis since I was 4 years old; now I am 22. So, it’s been a long time, just about 18 years. My dad and my siblings also played tennis.
What made you decide to take tennis from a hobby to a profession?
For a while, I was just passionate about tennis. The tennis club was right next to my school, and I would go to school and then go there to play, which became my everyday routine. I was around 11 years old when I made a very big change. I moved to Morocco to a tennis academy where I played tennis and studied online. For me, that was a huge sacrifice. It just felt that after this, there’s just no way that this sport wouldn’t shape my whole life. It stopped being only about talent and became about purpose.
Was there an exact moment you knew that tennis was going to shape your life?
That happened in Morocco. Before relocating, I was playing tennis as a hobby. I played every single day. Winning excited me, and my competitive spirit made me want to win every match. But then going to Morocco and playing there nationally, it just clicked that I could be that good. I realised I could actually compete with someone like Serena Williams one day— something I had always dreamt about. However, I would say the moment that shaped my life would be moving to Morocco to train professionally for tennis.
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Can you describe the experience of living in Morocco?
The culture in Morocco was amazing. It almost felt like I was at home. There, it was a lot easier for me to combine tennis and school. It was tough for me to adapt because there is a lot of racism there. It was difficult for me to go to the mall alone; I would have to go with a white friend. Which is a strange thing to do from a young age, and to know that it was a problem I had to tackle. Otherwise, it was really nice for me to be in a competitive environment.
I lived in a boarding school for five to six years while training at the ITF High Performance Tennis Centre. It was a tennis academy where the best junior players in Africa all trained together. Teachers would come to teach us tennis, and we would practice all together under a specific daily program.
Do you have any tennis heroes?
At first, I was just like everyone, admiring Serena Williams. I really liked watching her. I loved her dominance, and it felt very delightful to see a black woman dominating. My intention was to play against her in a match, but then she retired. After her, it became Roger Federer, and it remains him, especially for his composure on the court. This is something my dad has always taught me, how to be well-behaved on court, no matter what’s going on. This can be really tough as an athlete.
What tends to interrupt your composure and focus on court?
I currently live far away from home, and that can be hard. Sometimes, when I play these tournaments that I really want to win, I just make mistakes. It could be a double-faulting or a mistake on an approach shot. I just get so frustrated and hard on myself. It’s so easy to show all your emotions on court, but you can’t let your opponent read your frustrations.
Sometimes, I’ve had to adapt to conditions that I don’t like. I’m a fast-paced player. I also like to play on a hard court, but playing on a clay court slows me down, which can be frustrating. I don’t want to show all of my emotions on my face. This is something I’ve been working on over the years to maintain a certain level of composure on court.
As one of Africa’s most promising tennis players, what does it mean to play on an international stage?
Despite how long I’ve been playing, it just started to feel natural for me. Every single time I step on court, or even while I’m travelling, I try to represent as much as I can. I want to be the best I can be as a young Nigerian woman.
What challenges have you faced with this sport, and how have you overcome them?
Most of the challenges I’ve faced have been off the court. One thing that has been a challenge is loneliness on tour, because you’re travelling without family. It’s tough travelling alone. You only get to see family once or twice a year. Sometimes you travel with a coach, sometimes you don’t. You have to go to these different places to compete, and it can get really lonely. Right now, whenever I get too lonely, I group call my family.
Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in the US, and I’ve been playing college tennis for the past 3 years. It’s a typical Nigerian parent thing; they want me to play professionally, but also get a degree. School is very important to me and to my parents. I spent the last three years at Florida International University(FIU), in Miami, and I just transferred to Oklahoma University. I double major in Psychology and IT.
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What is it like balancing a professional tennis career and going to school?
It’s tough. I haven’t been playing a lot of pro tournaments because I spend the majority of my time in school. I have a sports scholarship, so I play for my school. It’s a give-and-take situation. I have to play for them to get a scholarship for my education and this is really tough especially with double majoring. At the same time, if I’m doing something, I want to do it right. After spending four years in school, I should at least get a very good degree, which is why I’m majoring in two difficult majors.
What’s your current routine?
My practice begins at 8 am. I start with conditioning from 8 to 9. Then from 9 to 11:30, I practice. I scheduled all my classes for the evening. I do hybrid classes — some of them are online. This helps me balance tennis and school since most times I’m on the road to play matches for school. Sometimes, I play away matches, sometimes at home. So, being able to do hybrid classes has been very helpful for me.
What are your personal rituals and mental strategies before you step onto the court?
Apart from tennis warm-ups at specific times, which depend on what rotation I’m playing, I also try to put my phone on do-not-disturb. I do this one hour before the match, as it can get really distracting to receive messages right before. I listen to music, nothing upbeat. Slow music is my favourite because I get really excited to play, and I could just go into a match rushing. So, I listen to music that puts me in a calm mood right before the match. I listen to John Legend and Lewis Capaldi.
How do you balance your identity as a competitive athlete with being a young woman navigating life, culture and self-expression?
As I mentioned, being a professional athlete can feel very lonely.You can spend so much time away from home, missing milestones with family and friends. However, what helped me a lot was joining Aurum Tennis Academy. It has meant so much to me because they support me and other players in the best way they can. They show that it takes a village. They’ve helped me to achieve my goals, and make sure that I’m never walking this journey alone. This is something I appreciate because that has always been the downside of being a tennis professional.
I also try to balance my life with discipline and things that remind me of who I am, like family, passion, food, and connecting with my culture as a young Nigerian woman. That’s how I keep myself whole and not just an athlete that’s defined by her results or her ranking.
Fashion and sports have increasingly overlapped — how would you describe your style, and does it play a role in your confidence on court?
On the court and off the court, I like to look stylish. I would describe my style as versatile, but it depends on my mood. Adidas sponsored my previous school , so I could only wear Adidas on court. Now that I’ve switched to a school that’s sponsored by Nike, I’m going to be wearing Nike as much as possible. These days, I like Nigerian designers. I’m loving all the Adire prints that are becoming trendy. I like to wear gold like my Owambe parents; I just try to represent. My all-time favourite fashion house is Miu Miu.
You’ve been a vocal advocate for more opportunities for African athletes. What changes would you love to see in tennis infrastructure across the continent?
I would love to see more tournaments. We need more competitions because that’s also why I relocated to Morocco at 11 years old. There just weren’t a lot of tournaments in Nigeria. I didn’t play as many competitions as I would have liked. It felt like going from zero to 100 every time I would take a trip to play.
North Africans are doing a great job; they’ve been able to produce good players simply because they have a lot of tournaments. In Tunisia, they have pro events all year long. However, in Nigeria we don’t have a single pro event. We have players who are rusty because they have access to only five to six tournaments in a year. Lagos has an abundance of tennis talent and courts, but the industry needs more structure. While the sport’s popularity is rising, players are struggling to earn a living due to a lack of organised tournaments and sponsors. This absence of support means we’re losing out on promising African talent, especially in Nigeria.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
I would love to be known as the Nigerian woman who’s put together, always working hard, always playing her best. And someday I would like to win a Grand Slam.
What advice would you give to young tennis players coming up?
Be you and stay consistent.If it was easy, everyone would do it. So, you just have to keep going.
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