MWTC More Than Just a Tennis Tournament for Young Fans

Day One of the event was all about youngsters having fun with tennis, taking part in games and challenges and getting a shot at some great prizes.

The field near the courts was transformed into a games zone with mini-tennis courts and activity stations offering different challenges. Tennis legend Pat Cash, an ambassador for Mubadala’s community tennis initiatives, and a team of professional coaches were on hand to offer advice and encouragement.

The challenges included tests of balance, agility, speed and accuracy, and kids who visited all nine stations were entered into a prize draw to win signed merchandise, a stay at Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi and tickets to Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld.

Twelve-year-old Yousef Al Mehrezi particularly enjoyed a challenge where the aim was to keep a ball bouncing on a racquet for as long as possible.
“I really enjoyed Kids Day,” said Yousef, a pupil at Al Sorouh American School. “I haven’t played much tennis before. Some of the games were really fun, and the coaches showed me how to do a good forehand and backhand.”

The aim of Kids Day was to promote an active lifestyle by showing children the benefits of taking part in sport.

Yazan Kassam, one of the coaches, said: “These challenges are designed to help improve different areas of their game. Some are to increase their creativeness and reactions while others are about balance.

“The main thing is that they have a lot of fun doing the exercises.”

Kids Day was rounded off with a Q&A session with the French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A sea of hands went up when the floor was opened to questions.

One enthusiastic youngster asked him simply “Why do you like tennis?” to Tsonga he replied: “As soon as I hit my first ball when I was seven years old, I just enjoyed it and knew it was something I wanted to do all the time.”

The world number 10 told his young audience he practises daily for between four and seven hours, and that it’s important to have other interests besides tennis.

Asked when he plans to retire, Tsonga joked: “I don’t know, I suppose when I start to feel tired I will stop.”

There were even more tennis-related challenges and games in Mubadala’s Interactive Zone.

In Tennis Batak, a test of reaction times, participants had to strike points on a wall as they lit up. In Target Shot, the aim was to hit the ball through five holes on the back wall, scoring points according to the size of each hole.

Another popular game was a test of agility in which players had to run as fast as possible between eight different points on the floor when they lit up. Tennis Star involved balls suspended on elastic in a semi-circle around the contestant, who had to lean forward and hit each ball when it lit up, before returning to the start position.

Eleven-year-old Ralph Rached, from Dubai, was one of hundreds of children who enjoyed the activities in the Interactive Zone.

“The Interactive Zone is great because it has loads of fun challenges which really test your abilities,” said Ralph, who attends the French School in Dubai. “I think things like this are important because they encourage youngsters to get involved in tennis.”

Mubadala’s Interactive Zone proved popular throughout the tournament, attracting people of all ages.

Saoud Karmastaji, senior communications officer at Mubadala, said: “Our aim through the Interactive Zone is to give people – particularly children – the chance to take part in exciting tennis activities and challenges and win prizes.

“The idea, again, is to have fun while getting across the message that it’s really important to lead an active life. The UAE has a high level of diabetes, and we’re trying to show people that they can reduce the risks of obesity by taking up sports like tennis.”

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship gave many young tennis fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be coached by the stars of the game.

The professionals took time out from their own practice schedules to offer Star Coaching Clinics throughout the three days.

Many of those taking part had earned their place by winning Mubadala Community Cup competitions in November or impressing the coaches at Tennis in Schools events across Abu Dhabi.

Fourteen-year-old Min Wong qualified for a coaching clinic with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray by winning Mubadala’s Community Cup under-14s competition.

“It was fantastic because he was so cheerful and he’s such a great player,” said Min, who attends American International School in Abu Dhabi. “It’s a privilege to train with one of the biggest names in tennis.”

During Murray’s session, players lined up behind the base line and took turns running towards the net and receiving a shot from the Scottish superstar.
Murray gave advice on everything from how to hold a racquet correctly to generating more power on a backhand shot, and frequently encouraged his young pupils with cries of “Nice shot!”

He took questions and signed autographs at the end, explaining the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and being disciplined with practice.

Australian tennis legend Pat Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987, took a training session on centre court with young Emirati players, including members of the UAE national team.

Cash, wearing his trademark black-and-white checked headband, exchanged volleys and passing shots with the youngsters and offered individual coaching tips.

Yousef Abbas, the youngest member of the national team at age 10, said playing with Cash had been a useful and enjoyable experience.

“It’s great meeting one of the legends of tennis and learning from him,” said Yousef, who recently competed in the GCC Cup competition. “He showed me how to strike the ball more cleanly.”

The carnival atmosphere of Mubadala’s Tennis Village and the thrilling centre-court action on all three days of MWTC was an unforgettable experience for most visitors. But for those who wanted a more permanent reminder, there were autograph sessions with all six superstars.

Long queues of excited fans formed outside the autograph booth as hundreds of people waited to have their t-shirts, posters and tennis balls signed by their favourite players.

Thirteen-year-old Gabrielle Acasio, a pupil at Philippine National School in Abu Dhabi, got a giant tennis ball signed by Andy Murray and David Ferrer. “I got my photo taken with them too,” said Gabrielle, who played in the Mubadala Community Cup on the run-up to MWTC. “It was so exciting meeting the professional players. You’re so used to watching them on television, and suddenly they’re right there in front of you. What an amazing experience!”

For Angela O’Callaghan, from Dubai, getting a giant tennis ball signed by her idol Rafael Nadal was the perfect way to celebrate her 10th birthday.

“I was a bit nervous because I was meeting my hero!” she said. “It was a brilliant birthday present.”
Marco Manzella, 14, got his t-shirt signed by Andy Murray and David Ferrer. He said: “It’s so exciting getting to meet the players that you see on TV. I don’t think there are many tournaments where it’s possible to get so close to the players.”

Saoud Karmastaji, Senior Officer, Mubadala Group Communications, said: “That’s one of the great things about the Mubadala World Tennis Championship that sets it apart from other tennis tournaments: young players get so many opportunities to meet their heroes.

“For a youngster, that can be such an inspiring thing, and something that will stay with them. Our hope at Mubadala is that through this and our various community initiatives, more and more kids will take up this exciting game.

“Who knows, maybe one day the UAE can produce a world champion tennis player.”