Abdullah Shelbayh will participate in the Next Gen ATP Finals thanks to an invitation from the tournament due to his promotion this year. The Jordanian represents his country and the entire continent as a real hope to take Arab tennis to the top. In a recent interview, the 20-year-old spoke of his responsibility and the opportunity to motivate the youngest people in his region.
Based at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Abdullah Shelbayh has earned its participation in the Next Gen ATP Finals which will be held between November 28 and December 2. The 20-year-old Jordanian is ranked 187th in the ranking and in April he became the youngest from his country to win a main draw match on the ATP circuit at the ATP tournament. Banja Luka. Now, thanks to the invitation to the Next Gen ATP Finals, Shelbayh will not only play for his own success, but will also seek to leave his country, Jordan, in a good position.
Play not only for himself, but also for his country
“It makes me happy to represent my country and the Arab world. There is some pressure, but you feel that it is a good pressure to have on your shoulders when you represent your country and the region where you come from. When I started playing youth tournaments at a level advanced, to play junior Grand Slams and even before that, I thought: ‘okay, people are starting to talk about this.’ I started to realize how big and important it is to represent your country and I try to represent it in the right way. best possible way. At that time I was 16 years old and I thought: ‘actually, I am representing something more than just me and my family,'” he confessed to the ATP.
Left-handed, thanks to Rafa Nadal
“My first memory of watching tennis was Roger Federer. He used to play one-handed forehand and backhand thanks to Roger. I didn’t know who Rafa was. I saw a guy playing against Roger because I only knew the Swiss back then. Then I saw a boy playing with his left hand (Nadal) and that same day I started playing with his left hand.”
Ons Jabeur, your inspiration
“What Ons is doing lately is incredible and motivates me. Knowing where it comes from and especially from the WTA side is inspiring for the entire Arab region. I have practiced with her when I was very young and it was amazing. She has always been very kind and very humble. She is still as good as before even though she has achieved a lot more in the last two or three years. When I was able to see her this year she told me that she had been reviewing my results and that she was happy with what she had been doing.”
The Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, an opportunity for the growth of tennis and inspiration for the youngest in the region
“I think it’s very exciting to have it in a different place bringing all the eyes and attention to this part of the world. It will also help this region have a greater impact on the world of tennis and hopefully produce more talent throughout the region. It plays an important role not only to have a tournament, but the Next Gen because it is for young players, so I think the younger generations will start to get much more involved in this sport and will be motivated.
Being Jordanian is a big part and gives me the inspiration and motivation to represent my country in such a big event. I want to see a lot more young players from that region come out and produce more talent. “I think we will be able to do it once there is more attention to the sport in that region.”
2023-11-25 11:14:23
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