JEDDAH: Jordan’s 20-year-old international tennis player Abdullah Shelbayh has urged Arab spectators to come and cheer him on as he competes in Jeddah’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM next week.
Having just turned 20 on Nov. 16, Shelbayh will be one of eight players to compete in the under-21 event at the Next Gen ATP Finals from Nov. 28-Dec. 2, a media statement said on Saturday.
Competing against the elite from his worldwide peer group in Saudi Arabia will be “a special moment” for Shelbayh, who alongside stars of the future Arthur Fils, Dominic Stricker, Luca Van Assche, Flavio Cobolli, Alex Michelsen, Hamad Medjedovi and Luca Nardi, will battle it out for global glory and a $514,000 top prize.
Arab support will “mean the world” to Shelbayh, who is urging as many spectators as possible to attend this year’s event at King Abdullah Sports City.
“In the tournament, I think I’ll need the support from the Arab world during the week,” says the 20-year-old, who reached the Wimbledon Junior doubles final in 2021.
“I’ll be depending on them, honestly. It’ll be very special for me to see Arab fans watch me play there.”
“In most countries in the Arab world, tennis is not as developed a sport,” said Shelbayh.
“But for me as a Jordanian, as an Arab as well, to be playing in such a special event is an honor. It’s a great way for me to show to the world — the Arab world and the whole world — that we can have talent and special players from our region.”
Born in Amman, Shelbayh is ranked 187th in the world by ATP, making him by far the region’s highest ranked male — as well as the first Jordanian tennis player to achieve an ATP world ranking.
The success of Tunisian star Ons Jabeur — the former world No.2 and three-time Grand Slam finalist who is the highest ranked Arab tennis player in both WTA and ATP rankings history — has sparked interest in tennis in the region.
Shelbayh, who describes Jabeur as having done “wonders” for tennis in the Arab world, hopes he can prove just as, or even more, inspirational as he embarks on his professional career.
“I hope I will be inspiring many young kids from the Arab world to play this sport,” said the Jordanian, who, after moving from his homeland aged 14, trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain. He then spent a year playing at the University of Florida before turning professional.
Established in 2017, previous tournaments took place in Milan before an agreement was sealed for Jeddah to host the Next Gen ATP Finals from at least 2023 to 2027.
Jordanian tennis star Abdullah Shelbayh ‘honored’ to compete in Jeddah Next Gen ATP Finals
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Jordanian tennis star Abdullah Shelbayh ‘honored’ to compete in Jeddah Next Gen ATP Finals
- Highest ranked Arab male player urges fans to come and support him during Nov. 28–Dec. 2 tournament
- The only Arab, Shelbayh is one of eight under-21 players competing
‘Someone wake me up,’ says Habib ahead of Alcaraz clash at Olympics
- “I was in shock when I heard,” the Texas-born player told AFP
- “Hopefully I can inspire lots of people in Lebanon“
PARIS: When Carlos Alcaraz was winning $3.5 million for lifting the Wimbledon trophy, Hady Habib was more than 5,000km away, collecting a meagre $1,350 at a low-level tournament in Canada.
Two weeks on, the 25-year-old from Lebanon now finds himself taking on the world number three in the first round at the Olympics.
“I was in shock when I heard,” the Texas-born player told AFP.
“Hopefully I can inspire lots of people in Lebanon.”
Habib, ranked a lowly 275 in the world, was only scheduled to play doubles at the Olympics alongside Benjamin Hassan.
However, following a series of injury pullouts, he moved into the singles draw as an alternate.
“The day after that, I’m drawn to be playing Carlos Alcaraz. So this has been an interesting five days for me.”
He added: “I was at the practice courts when I got the email. All happened so fast. Life can just change in an instant. You could say it’s a fairytale.”
Habib’s career has been spent on the second-tier circuit since he turned pro in 2021 after studying at university in Texas.
Now he will be the first man from Lebanon to represent his country in tennis at the Olympic Games.
The whole experience has left him starstruck.
“The first day I arrived, I was walking around a little bit lost just opening a door and going in somewhere.
“When I walked in the gym the first day, I saw Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and I was just, ‘Wow, this has to be a dream. Someone wake me up’.”
Nadal injury doubt for Olympics, says coach Moya
PARIS: Rafael Nadal has suffered a thigh injury to put his participation at the Paris Olympics in doubt, his coach Carlos Moya said on Thursday.
The 14-time French Open champion is scheduled to play in the singles and in the men’s doubles alongside rising star and fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros.
“He had some discomfort yesterday (Wednesday) morning,” Moya told Spanish radio.
“In the afternoon he was more limited and before it got worse he decided to stop.”
The 38-year-old Nadal did not train on Thursday, which Moya said was “the most responsible thing to do.”
“Don’t force it at the moment and see if he recovers well,” he added. “We will see what condition he’s in tomorrow and Saturday.”
Nadal returned to tennis this year after a lengthy absence with a hip injury, reaching his first ATP final since winning the 2022 French Open in Bastad last weekend before losing to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
He is scheduled to face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the singles first round on Sunday, the day after partnering Alcaraz in the doubles.
If Nadal defeats Fucsovics, he would set up a possible second-round meeting with old rival Novak Djokovic.
“I can’t guarantee anything, neither that he won’t play or he will play,” said Moya. “At the moment he needs to rest, undergo treatment.
“He is obviously very excited to play these Olympics. It has been something marked on his calendar for years.
“He is a born competitor and wants to play singles and doubles. He’s very excited about the doubles with Alcaraz. It will be the first time they have played together and it will be something historic for Spanish tennis.”
Nadal is a two-time Olympic champion, having won singles gold in Beijing in 2008, and doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Games alongside Marc Lopez.
Djokovic says don’t write me off for Olympic gold
- The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a single title this season
- “When it comes to bookmakers, people will always talk,” Djokovic said
PARIS: Novak Djokovic says he has “high expectations” as he chases an elusive Olympic gold medal, with his confidence unshaken despite a poor year by his stellar standards.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a single title this season, losing in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.
He returns to Roland Garros for a fifth Olympics, attempting to improve on the bronze he earned on his debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The Serbian world number two faces a mouthwatering clash with Rafael Nadal if both players win their opening matches.
Djokovic has missed out on the podium at the past three Olympics, twice finishing fourth, including in Tokyo three years ago when his bid for a rare golden calendar Grand Slam came up short.
Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite for the title in Paris after landing his first French Open title and defending his Wimbledon crown, but Djokovic has made a habit of proving doubters wrong.
“When it comes to bookmakers, people will always talk,” Djokovic said at a Serbian team press conference on Thursday.
“I haven’t yet won a title in this calendar year so people tend to count me out, but it has happened before and it can always change. So it can be a motivator.”
The 37-year-old pulled out before his French Open quarter-final with a knee injury at the start of June but made a swift return following an operation in time to play at Wimbledon.
“I feel more ready now than I was for Wimbledon,” said Djokovic, who begins his Olympic campaign against Australia’s Matthew Ebden.
Djokovic has made no secret of the fact that winning Olympic gold remains one of his “biggest dreams,” as the only major honor missing from his list.
“The expectations are always high, which is something that I cannot change and don’t want to,” he said.
“Approaching Olympic Games is always a huge challenge for me because I put extra expectations and pressure on myself, and of course, the nation as well.”
“The objective is always the highest one,” he added. “I’m hoping I can perform by best and get to the medal match.”
The tournament will officially mark the end of Andy Murray’s career, with Nadal also nearing retirement, but Djokovic said he had no plans to hang up his racquet.
“I don’t have retirement close in my mind, to be honest even though I know a lot of people would love me to retire so this era is done,” he said.
A match between Djokovic and Nadal would be the 60th instalment of one the sport’s greatest rivalries.
Djokovic holds a 30-29 edge over the Spaniard, but the pair have not faced off since Nadal won their French Open quarter-final two years ago.
“I am excited for this duel in the second round, and I will give it my all,” he said.
Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber will retire from tennis after the Paris Olympics
- The 36-year-old German player has won majors at every tournament except for the French Open at Roland Garros
PARIS: Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber announced Thursday that she will retire after the Paris Olympics.
The 36-year-old German player won majors at every tournament except for the French Open at Roland Garros — on the same clay courts where she will bid farewell to tennis after the Paris Games. She faces four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round.
“Before the Olympics begin, l can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player,” Kerber posted on Instagram. “And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and l’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.”
Kerber later confirmed her retirement when speaking briefly on stage after the Olympic tennis draw. Men’s and women’s first-round play begins Saturday.
Kerber won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016 — the year she reached No. 1 in the rankings — and won Wimbledon two years later.
“Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of growing up with a racket in my hand,” Kerber added. “There are many more things I want to say and people to thank, which I will do once I completed my last match. But for now, I will take the time and soak up every second of this final episode on court.”
Andy Murray will only play doubles at the Paris Olympic Games, withdraws from singles
- Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie
PARIS: Two-time Olympic tennis gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out of singles at the Paris Games on Thursday and only will compete in doubles with Dan Evans.
Murray, a 37-year-old from Britain, has said these Olympics will be the final event of his career.
He’s dealt with a series of injuries, including a hip replacement in 2019, and most recently needed surgery last month to remove a cyst from his spine.
Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie.
“I’ve take the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan. Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together,” Murray said Thursday. “Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”
His withdrawal announcement came shortly before the draw for the Olympics tennis tournament. Play begins Saturday.
Murray won singles gold medals at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, making him the only tennis player with two.
