Interview The one we bring today is very special, both for its protagonist and for its history. We talk about Mayar Sheriff, the best Egyptian tennis player in history despite having only been active for four seasons. Led by Justo González, her coach for a decade, the player from Cairo has reached the top 50 and already boasts a WTA title, the one she won a couple of months ago in Parma. But how was the journey to get here? Her first interview in Spanish could only be with Fernando Murciego in the break point channel.
end of season award
“The year has had many peaks, many ups and downs. In fact, I started quite badly, I wasn’t winning many games, and just when I started to win games and pick up a little rhythm, an injury came that kept me out for several months. There it was tough mentally, also then getting back in shape and being competitive again, until Parma came and everything went. I didn’t expect it, to be honest, I came to the tournament thinking of getting through the first round, but then things turned out”.
Champion in Parma
“The title has helped me take a leap mentally, a leap of confidence that allows me to see what I can really do on the WTA tour. It has given me the confidence that I can go far. Next year I see myself finishing top30, that is the goal. I don’t know, maybe I can go from behind, there wouldn’t be any problem, but if I go ahead it would be fantastic”.
path to the elite
“It has not been an easy journey. In Egypt we have tracks, we have very good clubs, now the money and sponsors are starting to come in a little, but we still don’t have a system to get players, that’s where the program is. At first it was very difficult for me to get out of there, I had no money or help, I didn’t know how to do it, it seemed impossible to me”.
Justo González, more than a coach
“It has helped me a lot, especially when it comes to welcoming me and making me feel part of a family. Mentally it is very hard if you are away from home and you are alone all the time, but he has always taken care of me so that I did not feel alone. Now I’m moving house, but I always spend a lot of time with him, his daughters, his sister, his parents… I’m officially like one of the family”.
The University almost took her away from tennis
“In the first two years I thought that tennis was over for me, I no longer saw any opportunity because I had no money and no help of any kind. But I was still playing there, winning a lot of games, even though I loved my career. In that process of maturity, I started to think about going back, giving myself one last option so as not to regret it in the future. In the third year I called Justo and told him that I wanted to play and that he be my coach. From the first moment I took the VISA, I came to Spain and all this started”.
Without help from your Federation
“Since I was little I dreamed of playing on the Center Court of Roland Garros winning matches, why not? I told my sister that one day she was going to be there, but she laughed, she told me that she was dreaming. In Egypt many people told me to my face that I would never get anywhere, that my tennis was dead from the moment I went to university. The Federation, unfortunately, never helped me either.”
Relationship with Ons Jabeur
“I have known her since she was 12 years old, she knows all my family and my sisters. I remember being at the University and seeing her matches, that girl was with me not long ago playing the Africa Championships, and now she was among the best. If she can, why can’t I? That’s the thought, if she can, any African player can. There are no longer limits, thanks to her everyone can”.
