Mohamed Safwat became the first man from Egypt to play in a Grand Slam tennis tournament’s main draw in 22 years on Sunday — and he got very little notice that chance would come at the French Open.
Safwat got into the field as a “lucky loser,” someone who failed to make it out of the qualifying rounds but is given a berth when another player withdraws. In this case, Victor Troicki pulled out on Sunday because of an injured lower back.
So, the 182nd-ranked Safwat made his Grand Slam debut on Court Philippe Chatrier against No. 4-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. Not surprisingly, Dimitrov won 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (1).
Dimitrov said he only found out he’d be playing Safwat about 20 minutes beforehand.
Safwat was cheered off the court in a rousing ovation. The last Egyptian man to play at a major tournament was Tamer El Sawy at the 1996 US Open.
“I only heard I was playing an hour before the match,” said Safwat. “I was warming up, I signed in as a lucky loser and I was told I might be on court at 11 o’clock. I dealt with it as best I could. I had never set foot on that court before.”
The 27-year-old had lost in the final round of qualifying to Guido Andreozzi of Argentina last week in what was his eighth futile attempt to make the main draw of the majors. A rule change this year has helped the cause of defeated qualifiers at the Slams. If a player withdraws injured before their scheduled first-round match, they still receive half the prize money while the lucky loser takes the other half. Safwat will pick up around $23,000 for his day’s work.
His career earnings of $350,000 pale in comparison to Dimitrov’s $15 million and he has won just one high-profile match in 2018 in the Davis Cup in February.
There was a world of difference between the two men on a sun-kissed center court on Sunday in the first two sets.
But Safwat, one of seven lucky losers in the men’s draw, then overcame blisters on his right hand to put up a solid challenge in the third set before Dimitrov raced through the tiebreaker for a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) win.
Dimitrov next faces either Jared Donaldson of the United States or Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.
Dimitrov was stunned by Tunisian wildcard Malek Jaziri in Dubai earlier this year, but he wasn’t in the mood to make the same mistake against another unheralded Arab opponent.
“I was warming up and my coach said, ‘hey look’ and we saw up on the board that I was playing a different opponent,” said 27-year-old Dimitrov, a former Wimbledon semifinalist who knew something of Safwat’s game from matches during their junior days.
“I didn’t expect that. I found out about 30 minutes before, but it is what it is. You have to be ready.”
Egypt ‘lucky loser’ gets shock French Open call to take on Grigor Dimitrov
Egypt ‘lucky loser’ gets shock French Open call to take on Grigor Dimitrov
- Mohamed Safwat becomes first Egyptian to play at a slam event in more than two decades
- He loses in straights sets to No. 4 seed but picks up $23,000 for his efforts
Arsenal prodigy Max Dowman earns Messi comparison after signing pre-contract agreement
- “What he’s done with us at the age of 15, me personally I haven’t seen it before,” Arteta said
- “He (Dowman) has a certain charisma as well and personality as well”
LONDON: Max Dowman, who became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League at the age of 15 this season, has signed a pre-contract agreement with Arsenal that will lead to him securing professional terms when he turns 17.
Arsenal announced the deal on Friday and manager Mikel Arteta appeared to draw comparisons with Lionel Messi when asked if he had seen a youngster with such talent and a strong mentality.
“What he’s done with us at the age of 15, me personally I haven’t seen it before,” Arteta said. “Only with a guy that used to play in Barcelona, but not even that.
“He (Dowman) has a certain charisma as well and personality as well. He doesn’t get overwhelmed, whether it’s by the situation, the stadium or the opponent. That’s a huge quality to have.”
Arteta was at Barcelona when Messi was coming through the ranks, though the Argentina great didn’t make his competitive debut for the Spanish team until he was 17.
Dowman was 15 years, 208 days when he came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Slavia Prague in November. No 15-year-old had previously played in Europe’s top club competition.
In August, he became the second-youngest player — behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri — to feature in the Premier League.
England internationals Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly are other players to have come through the Arsenal academy in recent years.
“I’ve been at the club my whole life, so this really means a lot,” Dowman said. “There’s such a clear pathway here, players who have come through our academy, like Bukayo, Myles and Ethan, who all really inspire me.
“It’s amazing to have role models so close that have experienced the same thing that I have. I’m now so excited to continue to work hard with my development.”
Dowman, who still attends school, is a left-footed attacking midfielder who joined Arsenal at the age of 5 in May 2015 and made his debut for Arsenal’s under-18s at age 13. He was only 14 when he was asked by Arsenal Arteta to train with the senior team.
