Local Junior Talent On Display

© Dubai Duty Free Tennis ChampionshipsAisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi offered tips to the junior players.

A group of talented male junior tennis players from the UAE took to the courts today on day two of men’s week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the Tennis Emirates Clinic.

Putting the boys through their paces were top ATP doubles pairing Aisam-Ul-Haq Quereshi and Jean-Julien Roger, who assisted with coaching the youngsters and offering some words of advice.

"I remember many of the boys from last time and it’s great to see that they have improved. I didn’t start playing tennis until I was 14 years of age so they have a much better chance to make it given they are younger than I was when I started," said Quereshi. He offered some advice to the boys, saying "Make sure you work hard, keep practising and never give up on your goals and dreams."

The line-up of local talent was very impressive and one youngster who stood out during today’s session was 13 year-old Abdullah from the UAE. "I really enjoyed teaming up to play doubles with Quereshi. I have been playing tennis for five years now and hopefully opportunities like the one today will help me to get better," he added.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, the tournament owners and organizer, was delighted with the success of the clinic. "Players like Aisam and Jean-Julien are great role models for the emerging talent here in the UAE. They offered the boys some great advice today and hopefully the boys will use this experience to improve their game," he went on to say.

Tennis Emirates Technical Director, Slah Bramly was on court with the boys and spoke about the importance of the program and today’s session. "The Tennis Emirates Clinic held this morning is an important step for the development and progression of these junior players as they prepare for tennis on the international stage," Bramly said.

Tournament Director, Salah Tahlak was full of praise for the Tennis Emirates Program. "This program continues to go from strength-to-strength and maybe one day we will see some of these boys playing on centre court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships," he said.

While the Clinic for talented young players was underway, one excited tennis fan who participated in the Schools Competition received a visit from emerging player Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan. Fresh from his first round win on centre court yesterday, Golubev visited Dubai English Speaking College this morning to present the prize for winning the Schools Competition which was run in the lead up to the tournament.  Christopher Williams, aged 13, won two tickets to the Men’s Final and a goody-bag after correctly answering five questions about the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Carmella Hunt, Communications Officer with Dubai English Speaking College spoke on behalf of the children. "The students really enjoyed the visit and they're still buzzing. Andrey was a good sport although he probably thought the students were tougher than a post-match press conference," she joked.

The ATP tournament is on until Saturday 3 March and features eight of the world’s top 10, including reigning Dubai, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, four-time winner Roger Federer, sensational Scot Andy Murray, charismatic Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and recent Montpellier winner Tomas Berdych.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.