Some of the best young tennis players from affiliated tennis academies across the UAE took part in the ATP Tennis Emirates Coaching Clinic on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
More than 120 boys, ranging in age from under eight to under 16, were joined by 30 Academy coaches and doubles players, Rohan Bopanna of India and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. The players had a practice session with the budding tennis stars and gave them some advice and top tips for the future.
“I think it’s always good when a tournament organises an event for the kids to come out and play with some pros. I think it’s a great initiative and every tournament should do that, it’s a great opportunity for the kids to get inspired,” Bopanna said. “Of course they come out to watch the players playing but to play with them on court I think is more inspiring, I did it as a kid when there was a tournament in Bengaluru and the pros came out, it was great fun. Even the 2-3 minutes you get of playing it inspires you more and gives you motivation to play. It’s always wonderful and as players we love to come out and be a part of the programme.
“It’s great to see tennis improving in the UAE; I think tennis is picking up in a big way,” he added. “We need players in this part of the world to play well, to see so many kids from different age groups playing is a wonderful thing to see as a tennis player. This is one of my favourite tournaments, I get a lot of support and it feels like I’m playing at home. There are a lot of Indians who watch tennis and love tennis, I’ve always enjoyed playing in these conditions and every time I come here I get a warm welcome which always makes it special to come back here and play.”
Slah Bramley, technical director of Tennis Emirates added: “Our mission is to boost performance and high performance tennis in the UAE. We are grateful to Dubai Duty Free for allowing us to organise the clinic. We would like to say a big thank you to the players for attending, we want to produce tennis champions and the players really inspire the children.”
Working with the local community is a key aspect of what the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship does, said Colm McLoughlin, the executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free. “It is very important to us to create a legacy from the event. The children always look forward to this day and we will continue to make sure they are inspired for many years to come,” he said.
Play in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships continues until March 3 and includes world number four and ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, recent Montpellier winner Lucas Pouillle and Marseille winner Karen Khachanov.
Tickets, starting at Dh55, are available from the Box Office, which is open 9am-9pm daily, or online at dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com.
