Jaziri Visit Delights Youngsters At Tennis Emirates-Head Clinic

Tennis Emirates - Head Clinic participants were in for a treat this morning when number 1 Arab player Malek Jaziri visited and gave some tennis tips and encouragement to the young local talent.

Fresh from last night’s exciting match when the Tunisian wild card stretched defending champion Roger Federer to three sets, Jaziri took the children through their paces. Jaziri said he welcomed the opportunity to play in Dubai and was happy to have the opportunity to interact with the children at this week’s Clinic which is run as part of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships ATP Tournament.

“It’s so great to see all the players out on the court, and some of them have real talent. I remember being this age and being introduced to tennis, wishing I could have these types of experiences, to play with professional tennis players, so it’s good to be here today.” Jaziri continued “It’s important for Arab countries to really develop the local talent and encourage the growth of this sport, then hopefully we can see more players out there.”

Organiser of the Tennis Emirates - Head Clinic and UAE National Head Coach Jorge Martin, agreed with the need for more tennis clinics in the region. “It’s so good for them, and there is nothing else like this running right now. We want to keep growing the talent pool, what you see here is the next generation.”

This week’s clinic brought 65 students from Tennis Emirates to enjoy a day at the courts. All the children in attendance were members of the UAE Junior Development Program, which provides tennis lessons as part of the physical education program in schools. The young Emirati players, aged 7 and 8 participate in dedicated tennis sessions to help develop their confidence on and off the court.

Along with tips from Jaziri, the children were delighted to meet top ATP doubles players Dick Norman and Filip Polasek who also had a hit with the participants. Polasek, a first time player at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships commented on the great clinic, “We help out with a lot of kids programs, but this one is really good, the kids, the facilities, I’m really enjoying it” Polasek continued, “Maybe one day we’ll see one of these guys on Centre Court.”

Mr. Abdulrahman Falaknaz, Vice-President of Tennis Emirates commented, “We are very pleased at the outcome of the program, when we have over 200 local kids playing tennis regularly it makes us hope for a better future. We’re just delighted to have more UAE children introduced to the game of tennis.”

The ATP World Tour event commenced on 25 February and features world number 1 Novak Djokovic, defending champion Roger Federer, as well as top 10 rivals Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Janko Tipsarevic.

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.

For further information about tickets, prices and the tournament or phone the call centre on +971 4 4172415.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Feb 26, 2013

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