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Magazine

Issue 9 - May 2014

Qatar Total 2014

Huge resources allocated to host the international tournament for tennis schools next year Romanian Halep clinches the title

Exciting surprises and a new success

Report: Injuries... nightmare of tennis stars Mothers of female tennis player: the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;soft powerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; behind their success

QTF

celebrates National Sport Day

The centre court within Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex The centre court in Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex witnessed significant developments, including expansion operations it underwent to accommodate a greater number of fans. The stadium capacity was 4,500 spectators when it first opened in 1992, and increased to 7,000 spectators in 2008. Other improvements include installing VIP seats, upper, lower and the middle rows of the bleachers.

‫ﺻﻮرة ﻟﻠﻤﻠﻌﺐ اﻟﺮﺋﻴﺴﻲ داﺧﻞ ﻣﺠﻤﻊ ﺧﻠﻴﻔﺔ اﻟﺪوﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻠﺘﻨﺲ وا�ﺳﻜﻮاش‬ ‫ﺷﻬﺪ اﻟﻤﻠﻌﺐ اﻟﺮﺋﻴﺴﻲ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺠﻤﻊ ﺧﻠﻴﻔﺔ اﻟﺪوﻟﻲ ﺗﻄﻮرات ﻛﺒﻴﺮة ﻣﻦ ﺑﻴﻨﻬﺎ ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺎت اﻟﺘﻮﺳﻌﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺟﺮت ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻻﺳﺘﻴﻌﺎب ﻋﺪد أﻛﺒﺮ‬ ‫ ﻣﺘﻔﺮج ﻟﻴﺼﺒﺢ ﻓﻲ‬٤٥٠٠ ‫ ﻟـ‬١٩٩٢ ‫ﻣﻦ اﻟﺠﻤﺎﻫﻴﺮ ﺣﻴﺚ ﻛﺎن اﻟﻤﻠﻌﺐ ﻳﺘﺴﻊ ﺣﻴﻦ اﻓﺘﺘﺎح ﻣﺠﻤﻊ ﺧﻠﻴﻔﺔ اﻟﺪوﻟﻲ ﻟﻠﺘﻨﺲ وا�ﺳﻜﻮاش ﻋﺎم‬ ‫ ﻣﺘﻔﺮج ﻣﻊ ﺗﻮﺳﻴﻌﺎت وﺗﺤﺴﻴﻨﺎت أﺧﺮى ﺷﻤﻠﺖ ﻣﻘﺎﻋﺪ ﻛﺒﺎر اﻟﺸﺨﺼﻴﺎت وا�ﻗﺴﺎم اﻟﻌﻠﻮﻳﺔ واﻟﺴﻔﻠﻴﺔ‬٧٠٠٠ ‫ ﻳﺘﺴﻊ ﻟـ‬٢٠٠٨ ‫ﻋﺎم‬ ‫واﻟﻮﺳﻄﻰ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺪرج‬

Contents

4 10 17 13 20

Qatar Total Open’s new champion

The twelfth edition Qatar Total Open Women (February 10 -16, 2014) introduced a new champion to the international tennis community when Romania’s Simona Halep clinched the tournament title for the first time in her career. Pg 4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Qatar Tennis Federation celebrates National Sport Day

Last February, QTF organized various tennis events on the occasion of National Sport Day where HE Mr Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, QTF President, joined the children and the public in playing tennis. Pg 10,11

QTF increased the total number of its female coaches to three to commensurate with the growing proportion of the number of female players at QTF. Pg 16,17,18,19

Mothers at the helm

Mothers of female tennis players are the soft power behind the success of their daughters at. Pg 14,15

In Our News you read about : - - -

QTF’s preparations to host the international tournament for tennis schools in 2015 Our team participates at Davis Cup QTF hosts an international officiating course

Pg 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,25

Qatar Tennis Link Magazine A periodical magazine issued by the Qatar Tennis Fedaration (QTF)

For Advertising Call 4440 9698

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

General Supervision

Yousif Al-Obaidi, GS, QTF

General Coordinator Khaled Al-Mohannadi

Editor-In-Chief

Mohamed Abdul Rahman For queries and suggestions, contact www.qatartennis.org

Magazine Team Redab Massoud Asma Mohamed Naser Bin Ali

facebook.com/qatartennis

Editorial Team

The Media Committee

@QatarTennis

Tournaments Schedule

We share our goals and success with the community Q

atar Tennis Federation’s great success in hosting many international and regional tournaments and events during the past few months poses a new challenge for us and, at the same time, motivates us more to show how advanced tennis has become in Qatar. Undoubtedly, the new and dazzling success of organizing the championships Qatar ExxonMobil Open and Qatar Total Open last January and February was a strong start for this sports season. Since tennis has become a very popular sport in the state of Qatar, this season includes a vast number of local and regional tennis activities and competitions. The National Sport Day celebrations last February as well as the World Tennis Day celebrations in March were another opportunity for us at the Qatar Tennis Federation to share with members of the community our goals of spreading the sport of tennis among the younger generation in line with our belief to investing in youth to create a generation capable of carrying the torch of challenge and ascend international podiums.

Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi President, QTF

The success of the Qatar Tennis Federation in winning the bid for hosting the international tournament for tennis schools in 2015 reflects QTF’s great interest in tennis schools. It is also a continuation of our efforts in the formation of a broad base of tennis players among school students to fuel their interest in the world of the yellow ball, which develops in youth the skills of high focus, physical and mental strength. We have been recently visited by the delegation of the International Schools Federation (ISF). The delegation praised QTF’s capabilities and facilities necessary for the successful hosting of the International tournament in 2015. The visit confirms that we are always ready to host the most important international tennis events and reflects at the same time the world’s confidence in Qatar in terms of organizing the biggest and most important sports events, which has made Doha the capital of the sport in the region. We reaffirm that QTF is working with all its strength to achieve the vision of Qatar, which has relied on sports, proven its ability to compete in the front rows of the world and presented to the international community a unique model of human development.

Four tennis championships from May to July From April 28 to May 5, the sixth edition of Smash Tennis Academy Championship will be organized by the Smash Academy in collaboration with the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF). The one-week-long tournament will include competitions for all age groups. In May, QTF is organizing Qatar ITF Junior Open for U10, U12, U14 and U18 boys and girls, followed by the

Communities Tennis Championship, which was a big success over the past years and attracted a large number of tennis players and enthusiasts. Organized by QTF and Nasser bin Khaled Holding, a new edition of the NBK Ramadan Tournament will be held also in June.

The tournament schedule is: Categories

Tournament

Date

All categories of boys and girls

Smash Tennis Academy Championship

April 28 to May 5, 2014

U10, U12, U14 and U18

Qatar ITF Junior Open

May 12 to May 19

Men and women

Communities Tennis Championship

May 19 to May 26, 2014

Veterans, men, U10, U12 U14 and U18

NBK Ramadan Tournament

June 30 to July 7

Enjoy tennis at our courts The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex has currently 21 tennis courts available to all individuals wishing

to play tennis, which is fast becoming a popular sport in Qatar.

COURT SCHEDULE Sunday to Thursday From 8:00am to 5:00pm and from 7:00pm to 11:00pm

Fridays and Saturdays From 6:00am to 11:00pm

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Tennis courts shall be booked one day in advance. For more information on booking and prices please contact the information desk.

Telephone Number: 4409666

Total Qatar

Halep: the first Romanian player to win the tournament

eventh seed Halep achieved her first title in Doha and succeeded the winner of the title last season, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. While many Romanian players participated in the previous editions of the tournament, Halep became the first Romanian player to win the title. Kerber started proceedings but was broken in the first game with Halep firing the all cylinders. The Romanian broke again in the fifth game and then held to lead 5-1. Kerber held her serve to stay in the set but, after a long 8th game, Halep took the set 6-2 in half an hour. The German was yet again first to start the second set and games went with serve until Halep broke in the 5th game and went on to hold, to lead 4-2. With the Romanian leading 5-3 Kerber served to stay in the match, but the fairytale continued as Halep got a final break to wrap up the set at 6-3 after just an hour and six minutes on court, to record her greatest victory to date.

Halep with the Qatar Total 2014 Trophy

Romania’s Halep wins title Exciting surprises and a new rising star at the Qatar Total 2014

she will achieve more titles and victories in the remaining tournaments of the season.

Qatar Total Open introduced Halep, one of the rising stars in women’s tennis, and represented a powerful starting point for her in the new WTA season, which suggests that

The tournament also witnessed many exciting developments in its various stages following the absence of top seeds Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, who pulled out at the last minute and also the elimination of some of the top seeds, which gave a new impetus to tournament, opening the doors wide to surprises.

he twelfth edition of the Qatar Total Open, which was held at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from February 10 to 16, introduced a new champion when Romanian Simona Halep clinched the competition title for the first time in her career.

56 player participate at Qatar Total Open 2014

he tournament kicked off with the participation of 56 players, of whom 43 were seeded players while eight players were qualified through the playoffs and 5 other players received wildcards from the Qatar Tennis Federation, organizers of the tournament.

The eight seeds were waived playing matches of the first round and allowed to go directly to the second round in order to ensure that none of them would be kicked out prematurely in the first rounds of the tournament. The players exempted from playing in the first round included Chinese first-seeded Na Li, Polish second-seeded Radunska, Czech Petra Kvitova, fourth-seeded Sarah Errani, fifthseeded Jelena Jankovic, German sixth- seeded Angelique Kerber, Romanian seventh-seeded Simona Haleb and Danish eighth- seeded Caroline Wozniacki. The preliminaries took place during the two days before the tournament start. A total of 36 players played in those rounds, of whom 8 qualified including Ukrainian Zaniewska, the Russians Kudryavtseva and Petrova, Bulgarian Bernkova, Taiwanese Hsieh, Karwatia Martak and lUsik baronial and Czech Sjkovska .

Two Asian players win doubles title

sieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Peng Shuai of China clinched the Qatar Total Open doubles title after beating Czech Kveta Peschke and Slovak Katarina Srebotnik in the final by two sets to zero (6/4-6/0). Yousef Al Obaidly, QTF Secretary General, crowned the two new champions in presence of Tariq Zainal, Assistant Secretary General, Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director, Guillaume Chalmin, Total E&P Qatar Managing Director, the sponsoring company of the competition. The first set of the match had a tie before the Asian players changed it in the last games and ended it 6-4. Then the Asian doubles continued their strong performances and showed a significant advantage over their opponents through their high harmony in dealing balls, which made them win the final set 6-0 and the match in two sets to zero.

Finance Minister Crowns winner

E Mr Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance, oversaw the closing ceremony of the tournament and handed the trophy to Simona Halep after she beat Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final by two sets to zero 6-2, 6-3. The crowning of the Qatar Total Open’s new champion was attended by Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, President of Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) and Head of the Higher Organizing Committee of the tournament, Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director and QTF Executive Director, and Stéphane Michel, Total E&P Qatar Managing Director. 4

Halep

Doubles title winners ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Total Qatar

Competition Sidelines

QTF hosts gala dinner

atar Tennis Federation (QTF) hosted a Gala Dinner at Four Seasons Hotel in honor of the Qatar Total Open 2014 players. The event was attended by HE Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khulaifi, QTF President and Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee, Yousef Al Obaidly, Secretary General, Tariq Darwish Zainal, Assistant Secretary General, Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director, Karim Al Alami, Assistant Tournament Director, and VIP guests from Total Qatar and other sponsors. Speeches were delivered by HE Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khulaifi and Total E&P Qatar Managing Director, Guillaume Chalmin.

Nasser Al Khulaifi handed the tournament cheque to the winner

Players in attendance included top seed and recent Australian Open champion, Li Na, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic. Singles and doubles players were all there to enjoy an evening with sponsors, guests and VIPs.

Nasser Al Khulaifi “Total Open achieved its objectives and contributed to the emergence of new female tennis stars”

E Mr Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, President of Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) and Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the Qatar Total Open 2014, expressed his deepest thanks and appreciation to HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, for his constant support for the union, and praised the wise directions and absolute support of HE Mr Salah Al Ghanim , Minister of Youth and Sports, and HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

He also expressed his deep thanks and gratitude to all sponsors, the media and the government and private organizations for supporting the tournament. He commended the efforts of the various committees of the tournament and said they spared no effort to provide assistance to all players, guests and spectators.

At a joint press meeting held at the end of the tournament with Yousef Al Obaidly, QTF Secretary General, Tariq Zainal, Assistant Secretary General, and Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director, Al Khulaifi congratulated the Romanian rising star Simona Halep for winning the Qatar Total of 2014 title. Al Khulaifi praised the success of the tournament saying that the singles and doubles competitions were very strong and exciting and they introduced many new names to the international tennis community. He praised the huge audience turnout, especially in the finals. “A large number purchased tickets and attended the matches since the start of the tournament. This shows that the game has become popular locally and I think everybody has enjoyed watching the exciting games played by international stars,” he said.

Nasser Al Kulaifi with the players and gala dinner guests ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Total Qatar

Halep after the tournament

“Doha is a new start for me and I’ll be back for the next tournament” – Halep

imona Halep of Romania said she was so happy to clinch the Qatar Total Open 2014 title, adding that she spent an enjoyable week in Doha and that the hospitality she found in Qatar will encourage her to play at the next tournament.

Total Qatar

Tournament History 2001 - Hingis First-seeded Swiss Martina Hingis easily beat the third-seeded French Sandrine Testud 6-3 and 6-2

2002 - Seles Monica Seles narrowly defeated fourth-seeded Thai Tamarine Tanasugran 7–6(6), 6–3.

2003 - Anastasia Myskina Myskina beat her compatriot seeded fifth Elena Likhovtseva 6–3, 6–1.

2004 - Myskina

Halep said in a statement after being crowned champion that she was very happy with her achievements in Doha.

She Beat her compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.

“I had been competing indoors, but mentally I am very strong and I got the feel of the balls and the court here very well. I encountered some difficulties in the first game but after that I felt I was able to offer my best, which made me succeed in winning all the matches two sets to zero.”

2005 - Sharapova

Halep considered Qatar Total Open her best achievement since the beginning of the current tennis season. She said it will be a significant milestone for her in the remaining tournaments of the season and will represent a strong incentive for her to win more tournaments and titles.

Russian Nadia Petrova beat the French Mauresmo in the final 6–3, 7–5.

“I’m now looking forward to the next tournaments after this win, especially because I am in my best mental state and I have great confidence in my abilities. This is important for me,” she added. The Romanian player thanked the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) led by Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, QTF President, Mr. Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director and all QTF workers who contributed to the success of the Qatar Total 2014.

Photos from the tournament

She won in the final match against Australian Alicia Molik 4–6, 6–1, 6–4.

2006 - Petrova

2007 - Justine Henin Justine Henin won easily against the second seed Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 6–2.

2008 - Sharapova Maria Sharapova beat in the final Vera Zvonareva 6–1, 2–6, 6–0.

2011 - Zvonareva Russian second-ranked in the tournament Vera Zvonareva defeated in the final Danish Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–4 .

2012 - Victoria Belarusian Victoria Azarenka won in the final against the Australian Samantha Stosur 6–1, 6–2.

2013 - Azarenka retains title Victoria Azarenka won in the final against American Serena Williams 7–6(6), 2–6, 6–3

2014 - Halep Romanian Halep defeated German Kerber in the final 6–2, 6–3.

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Sports Day of the State

QTF celebrates National Sports Day and promotes tennis

Sports Day pioneering initiative underlines commitment to Qatar National Vision 2030, Nasser Al Khulaifi

n the occasion of National Sport Day, the events organized by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) last February witnessed a high turnout of the public and coincided with Qatar Total Open. HE Mr Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, QTF President, participated in various activities organized by QTF in many places in Doha where he played tennis with the children and the audience that visited the venues. QTF held its activities in many locations, including Katara Cultural Village, the Olympic Committee Committee (QOC) Zone next to the General Post Office, Al Dafna Park , Ezdan Mall and the Transit Hall at the old Doha International Airport. All activities included mini tennis courts under the supervision of QTF coaches to teach the visitors the basics of the game and encourage them to play tennis. As for the celebrations inside the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Mr Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi organized a special tennis festival, one of the most important events of the Sport Day. The yellow ball enthusiasts from QTF School and Smash Academy in addition to the national team players participated in the event which included various sports activities to introduce tennis skills. A number of Qatar Total open players joined the children to celebrate the day.

Tennis stars participating in the Sports Day

Qatar’s investment on sports has become a model among nations, Nasser Al Khulaifi

E Mr Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi said in a statement, “The celebrations of the National Sport Day organized by QTF confirm our commitment to supporting the goal of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of adding this day to the holiday roster of the country in order to increase awareness of the importance of sport in society.” “The State of Qatar has placed invested in sports and demonstrated that it can compete in the front rows of the world. The National Sport Day has given the world a unique role model that made the United Nations proclaim recently that day intend establishing an International Day of Sport,” he added Khaled Al Khulaifi, head of teams at QTF, said he was happy to see the way nationals and residents reacted to the events hosted by QTF, headed by Nasser bin Ghanem Al Khulaifi, to mark the National Sport Day, especially mentioning the event organized at Doha International Airport. “Any success achieved by QTF during National Sport Day is a confirmation of the success of this initiative, which aims to

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

make sport a lifestyle and a way to achieve social and health development in order to support Qatar National Vision 2030,” he added. He hoped the society will continue playing sports beyond Sport Day, so that it will become a well-established national culture. The event at Doha International Airport was popular among a large number of transit passengers. QTF set up a mini tennis court in the transit hall for three days and gave the passengers of various nationalities the opportunity to play the game. The passengers expressed to the local and foreign media their admiration for that unique experience that they had never been through at any airport before. They said they also enjoyed playing tennis in a different atmosphere that didn’t resemble anything that they had been used to. QTF held also a schools festival where school children were introduced to the fundamentals of the sport and enjoyed various tennis and fitness drills. WTA players Simona Halep, Anqelique Kerber and Annika Beck attended the festival to play with the children and take photos. 11

Tennis Coaches

Behind every successful player stands a mother

others of tennis players provide boundless support to make their children excel. Behind the success of any brilliant athlete is “a soft power” that continuously motivates and encourages achievements. It is a hidden power from behind the scenes. Tennis players, like other athletes, need their family’s attention and care more than anybody else. Therefore, their success is primarily due to the care given to them by their families, in general, and their mothers, in particular. Mothers of the male and female players are the closest members of the family to their children. They take care of their “champions” and spare no effort to contribute to their achievements and success.

One of the female tennis players that succeeded tremendously at the Arab level is the Omani player Fatima Al Nabhani, who frequently participates at Qatar Total Open. Fatima Al Nabhani attributes her perseverance and success to her mother who often attends her competitions to encourage and inspire her and give her confidence. Through 22 years of the devotion, Fatima’s mother has strived to make her daughter successful because she considers her daughter’s success as her own. Qatar Tennis Link sheds more light on the mothers of the female tennis players to learn more about the “soft power” behind the determination and success of these players.

Fatima’s Mother

Fatima Al Nabhani

The force behind the success of three tennis players

s. Huda (Fatima’s mother) says, “It is not easy to be a mother in a family of three athletes. Being a mother of two sons and a daughter, all playing tennis, means more responsibility financially as well as in effort.”

Tennis for all 12

“The biggest challenge is when the victory of one my children coincides with the defeat of another one. It is a difficult situation that should be dealt with wisely in order to find balance between being happy for the winner and giving support and encouragement to the loser.” Ms. Huda Al Nabhani recalls memories of the beginning of her daughter’s career saying, “When she was four years old, I used to take her to tennis courts to watch her while training and hand her balls until she has become today a professional player.” ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Omani professional player, 22 Her best WTA singles ranking was 362 in 2010 Participated for the fourth time in a row at the Qatar Total Open

She stressed that the success of her daughter in tennis and becoming one of the prominent Arab players did not come from nothing; it was the result of close follow-up in the house and at courts in addition to committing to proper diet, sleeping early and encouraging her to train constantly, as well as travelling with her to attend international tournaments and camps. Despite the tiring long years when Fatima followed up every moment of her daughter’s sport life, she never complains nor regrets that. On the contrary, she speaks with pride about Fatima’s achievements and confirms that she will always be by her side to advise her patiently. “I call on all the mothers of athletes to stand by their children to the end,” she advices.

Tennis Coaches

Mubaraka’s mother stresses the importance of support in “victory and defeat”

Naila’s Mother

ubaraka Al Nuaimi (13 years) is one of the best players of the tennis team. She also has unlimited support from her family, especially her mother who always supports and encourages her. Ms. Amina (Mabraka’s mother) says the secret of her daughter’s success is standing by her side and showing her support, whether through positive words or motivational initiatives. “it is essential that we encourage our athlete children both in their victory and defeat, especially when they lose in a match or competition. We have to motivate them more and make them stick to their dreams.”

Naila’s mother: the mystery behind the success of a tennis player

Regarding the beginnings of a Mubaraka, Ms. Amina says, “I didn’t force her to play tennis. On the contrary, I made her play other sports, but eventually she chose this interesting sport, so I supported and encouraged her to continue playing tennis.”

f Fatima Al Nabhani’s mother was the strong motivation behind the success of her daughter so is the mother of QTF player, Naila, 14 she is one of the few mothers who invest persistence and determination in her daughter’s future as a champion. Recalling how she discovered her daughter’s passion for sport, Naila’s mother, Dr Sheikha Dorsaf, said, “Naila started playing tennis when she was seven after winning the first place in a running competition organized in Chicago, USA, in 2007. We, as her family, decided that she should build up her fitness and invest in her sport talent. So we chose tennis.” Naila’s mother explained that her previous personal experience in swimming played an important role in enhancing her daughter’s passion for sport and encouraged her to play tennis as a sport that helps players strengthen their physical fitness and teach them discipline and tension control in addition to strengthening their mental capabilities and patriotic feelings. “All these factors inspire mothers to encourage their children to play sport and become their supporter to ensure that they continue to train,” she maintains. Dr Sheikha Dorsaf confirmed that her priority in life is to develop her daughter’s capabilities and to always encourage her no matter what the sacrifices may be. “I dedicate my life to my children and do my best to make Naila become a tennis champion in the future. For that I sacrifice everything. For example, I have to cancel attending a lot of social and family events and business meetings in order to be by my daughter’s side in training and matches,” she adds.

Naila The 14 year old began playing tennis at the age of seven She has more than 14 local and Arab cups and a number of bronze, gold and silver medals

“When Mubaraka wins in any competition, I feel that we have conquered all difficulties and that my continuous encouragement and support gave its fruits,” she added. Mubaraka’s mother revealed that she faced many challenges to make her daughter continue playing tennis through following up her training, accompanying her to the courts, especially at an early age, as well as making her continue her studies.

Mubaraka’s Mother

Placing faith in the coach

Mubaraka Al Nuaimi 13 years old Began playing tennis at the age of six She has three medals and 44 cups from local, Arab and GCC tournaments

injuries: A constant source of worry for mothers

Naila’s mother stressed the importance of the fact that mothers should follow up their athlete children through communication with their coaches to know their level and identify their needs. However, according to her, mothers should not interfere with the work of coaches as they should give them their full confidence. “Naila is my daughter in the house, but she is the coach’s daughter at the court,” she added.

She said the mothers of athletes are always prone to bear more burdens than others because their children are prone to injuries, which doubles their responsibilities and preparations to deal with any emergency situations. Mubaraka’s mother emphasized that it is very important for mothers to inspire their daughters to not to be afraid of failure. “We should tell them, ‘try … then try again... you can achieve what you want.’ This is the mother’s role to inspire them to try over and over again… This is the best way to achieve any goal.”

Dr Sheikha Dorsaf is proud of Naila’s persistence to continue playing tennis in parallel with studying at school. “I always make sure to smile after her training sessions or competitions because it is very important to give my daughter the confidence that drives her to achieve her dreams and enjoy what she is doing,” she said. ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Tennis Coaches

Female coaches: A combination of psychological stimulation and education of skills

ver the past few years, Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) enhanced its crew of coaches by adding two new female coaches: Sanaya Azzouz of Tunisia and Regina Mattei of Hungary, bringing the total number of QTF female coaches to three with Moroccan coach Nawal Karmosi, who has been working with QTF for more than 10 years .

pressure males can undergo and therefore they need certain ways of motivation and treatment that are different from the ways suitable for boys.

The number of QTF female coaches is in proportion with the percentage of female tennis players in Qatar and with the percentage of the women in the technical cadre of most GCC and Arab tennis federations.

Coaches Sunaya Azzoz and Naawal Karmosi train girls of the age group from 4 to 10.

QTF is keen to enhance its cadre with female tennis coaches and increase their number gradually in response to the increasing number of girls that want to play tennis. This is in keeping with Qatari society’s preference to have girls coached by a female cadre.

Sunaya Azzoz says that girls in the age group of 4 to 10 need a special way of training to encourage them to play tennis and hone their basic skills before moving to the stage of strength that usually begins after 12.

As the number of female players increases, QTF plans to increase the

The female coaches are on a par with the male colleagues in terms of skills and expertise.

number of female coaches as well

The number of female coaches is set to increase as more and more girls show interest in playing tennis. This may go up to eight in the coming years, equaling the number of male coaches.

Newly appointed coaches Sunaya Azzouz & Regina Mattei join senior coach Nawal Karmosi

aving coached at QTF for more than 10 years, Nawal Karmosi thinks a female coach is more able to cope with the needs of girls during training in terms of scheduling suitable breaks for rest, energy recovery or other biological issues, which creates a comfortable environment for aspiring girls and encourages them to continue training.

Azzouz says, “There is no difference as a female player receives the same skills whether she is trained by a male of female coach. The only difference between the ways a female coach and a male coach handles girls lies only in the degree of understanding the girls’ needs in terms of the way of treating or motivating them.”

Regarding the quality of the skills female coaches Sunaya

Sunaya went on to explain that girls cannot tolerate the same

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Tennis Coaches

Expertise of female coaches T

en years ago, QTF approached coach Nawal Karmosi to ask her to supervise a number of girls and teach them tennis skills. But the number of girls grew in the past few years, so QTF needed more female coaches. Nawal says she trained a lot of players over the last ten years, but many of them dropped out of training and stopped to play tennis early, making the number of female players shrink, especially those above 14 years. Sunaya Azzoz says she has experience in the United Arab Emirates through working in a number of clubs. Therefore, she was approached by QTF to enhance its female technical crew and train girls. Coaches Nawal and Sunaya said that working conditions are comfortable and they are treated positively by the tennis community. They confirmed that these two factors help them achieve their potential, which reflects positively on training quality and facilitates honing the skill of the girls.

Regina Matyak

More female coaches

egina Matyak trains female players of the age group from 12 to 14. Given the number of female players, she believes that the existence of three female coaches at QTF is a positive move.

amdouh Ismail, Assistant Head of Coaches at QTF, said the presence of three female coaches in QTF coaching cadre is a positive move as this number is proportional to percentage of girls in the total number of tennis players.

Having played tennis in the United States and then studied training, Regina has good experience that enables her to train at QTF. She is now transferring her expertise and experience in the world of tennis to the players to improve their skills and help them master different kinds of serving.

Since many girls drop out from playing tennis at the age of 12 and 14, QTF doesn’t have many female coaches, he added. However, QTF is planning to increase the number of female coaches in the future with the increase of the number of players in different age groups as part of the overall strategy set by the Federation to spread the game and broaden the base of its players.

Regarding the absence of female coaches for players above the age of 18 or for WTA players, Regina says, “It’s because female players think that a male coach can give them high strength and make them achieve better results than can be achieved with female coaches. However, the technical crews of professional female players always include female specialists that usually perform the task of preparing the players psychologically and mentally. In addition to that, these teams have also some female coaches.”

Mamdouh feels that ‘motherhood’ characteristic of female coaches helps train the age groups of 4 to 5. So the care given by female coaches to this age group helps achieve the best result with beginners. The Assistant Head of Coaches reiterated that there are no differences in training capacities between men and women. The only difference lies in the psychological aspects associated with the training exercises.

On the other hand, Regina feels that the number of female coaches at QTF is set to rise in the next few years with the expansion of the base of female tennis player as the Federation is developing a clear strategy to achieve this goal. 18

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

News

Qatar Tennis Federation hosts international tennis officiating course

n March Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) hosted an international tennis officiating course organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in the context of cooperation between the two federations. ITF chose Qatar to host this event because of the progress and efficiency that the country showed during the past decade in holding various prestigious sports international events. 31 international umpires from different countries participated in the course and six of the world’s top umpires representing the ATP, WTA and the ITF lectured on advanced officiating techniques. At the end of the course, chair umpires received their bronze badge, referees their bronze badge and chief umpires their silver badge.

The course was followed by a refresher course for QTF officials in order to update their knowledge in officiating. Officials with white badge from different countries including Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi, Iran and Egypt also took part in this course. Tariq Zainal, Assistant Secretary General and Head of the Officiating Committee at QTF said, “We are glad to hold such a high level course in tennis officiating and we will do whatever we can to be up to the confidence given to us by ITF to host this annual course. It confirms the huge success that Qatar has achieved in holding high caliber sports events. This is a very important step to improve the game of tennis in the country.”

World Schools Tennis Championship 2015: Delegation meets QTF officials

n preparation for the World Schools Tennis Championship 2015, to be held in Doha, a delegation of the International Schools Federation (ISF) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) visited Qatar in March to view the courts that will host the tournament at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex and check the Complex’s state-of-theart facilities that will ensure the success this international event.

Tour of advanced facilities The ISF delegation visited Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex to view the venue’s facilities. The visit coincided with the final of the second Qatar Asian Championship hosted by QTF during last March. The delegation studied the facilities of Khalifa Complex and the venues that will host the Schools Tennis Championship in addition to the advanced capabilities and got acquainted with QTF’s extensive experience in organizing international and regional tournaments.

In this context, a meeting was held between QTF, ISF and Qatar School Sport Federation (QSSF) attended by Saad Al Mohannadi, Tournament Director, technical office members from QTF, Abul Rahman Al Muftah, QSSF Executive Director, Salah Salam, Technical Expert from QSSF, Norbert Alfons Kever, ISF Executive Director, and Pamela Denise Burrage, Head of Tennis Technical Office at ISF.

Commenting on this occasion, Saad Al Mohannadi said, “We felt that meeting was successful. We know it is still too early to talk about any success. However, the meeting was very productive, which gave us a boost to unleash our capabilities and do whatever we can to present to the world an event with highest technical and administrative quality.”

During the meeting, the officials reviewed the plans made by QTF for hosting this event and discussed the event’s requirements accordingly.

QTF will host the World Schools Tennis Championship 2015 at the courts of Khalifa Complex in collaboration with ISF and QSSF. The last edition of the World Schools Tennis Championship was hosted in Australia in 2013.

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

News

Mubarak Shanan gains entry into the ATP World Tour rankings

Qatar Asian Junior U14 Mubaraka Al Nuaimi first runner-up in

Shanan brothers excel at the Second ITF Future 2014

girls doubles

romising Qatari player Mubaraka Al Nuaimi clinched the second place in the girls doubles competition of Qatar Asian Junior U14 championships in March hosted by Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) in cooperation with its Asian counterpart. A total of 32 boys and 32 girls from Qatar, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Yemen participated at the two championships. Mubaraka Al Nuaimi won the second place at the 1st and 2nd Asian championships after losing with Philippine’s Fatima Amiral to the team of Adithya Karunaratni from Sri Lanka and Sevil Uldasheva from Uzbekistan during the final of girls doubles at both championships.

Mubaraka Al Nuaimi In the girls singles, Adithya Kurnaratne from Sri Lanka clinched the title of the 1st Asian shampionship after beating Vipasha Mehra of india, whereas Kazakhstan’s Bepti Zokaev won the boys singles title of this tournament. Aziz Ahmed and Bilal Horaiby of Yemen won the boys singles title after beating first Asian champion Fahmi Al Ward of Yemen and Mohammed Al Yamani from Jordan. Adithya Kurnaratne of Sri Lanka clinched the girls singles title after beating Dana Mohammed of Jordan, whereas Yemen’s Ahmed Aziz won first place after beating his compatriot Fahmi Al Ward.

12 players from Qatar national team Mousa Shanan

Mubarak Shanan

ubarak and Mousa Shanan achieved good results at the second ITF Future 2014 held last April at the courts of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

32 players from all over the world participated at the tournament including Qatar’s players Ali Abdul Redha, Abdullah Al Jufairi and Mubarak and Mousa Shanan.

Mubarak Shannan won his first ATP World Tour rankings point for the first time in his career, whereas his brother Mousa reached the doubles semi-finals of the competition.

QTF hosts the ITF Future tournaments to improve the performance of Qatari players by granting them wildcards to participate at these prominent tournaments because of professional level of the young players participating at Future tournaments and the nature of their competitions.

Mubarak Shanan gained entry into the ATP World Tour rankings after he defeated his countryman Ali Al Sayegh in the singles first round match to become the second Qatari player to enter the rankings following the success of his brother Mousa in who achieved the same thing last season.

participate at Qatar ITF Junior Open Tournament

total of 12 male and female players from Qatar national team participated at Qatar ITF Junior Open Tournament organized by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) in March 12, that’s 10 percent of the total number of participants totaling 120.

Ola Basil succeeded in reaching the second round of the girls singles after beating Great Britain’s Alice Mcginty by two sets to none before being defeated in the second round by Ege Tomey of Turkey. The rest of the players were eliminated in the first round.

Mousa Shanan reached the doubles semi-finals of the tournament for the first time in his career after his victory with his doubles partner Great Britain’s Oliver Golding in two straight matches, making him win a new point in doubles ATP rankings. Saad Al Mohannadi, QTF Executive Director, presided over the closing ceremony of the tournament and crowned Switzerland’s Adrien Bossel with the singles title and the team of Chinese Taipei’s Ti Chen and South Africa’s Ruan Roelofse with the doubles title.

The Qatari players included Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Abudallah Shanan, Khalifa Al Mahmoud, Issa Shanan, Ali Al Sayegh, Ahmed Al Mohannadi, Jassem Zeyara, Abdullah Al Jufairi, Omar Al Jufairi, Mohammed Mohannadi and Ola Basil.

Tariq Zainal, QTF Assistant Secretary General, oversaw the closing ceremony of the tournament and crowned the winner of the boys singles Daniel Little of Great Britain after beating Italian Enrico Dalla Valle in the final. He also crowned Daniel Little as winner of the boy doubles title with his team-mate Yusuf Hassan after defeating the Italian team Enriko and Sasha Merzeti.

Saad Al Mohannadi with the ITF future winner

Ola Basil ISSUE 9 - May 2014

The Cypriot Eliza Omirou and Maria Siopacha won the doubles title after defeating the team of Yagmour and Panna. 23

News

Qatar national team to participate in

Qataris clinch titles

Nayef Fawzi officiates in

Davis Cup in June in Tehran

wide participation of

two international tennis

players at QTF open

tournaments in Dubai

Khaled Al Khulaifi

ur Annabi tennis stars will participate at Davis Cup organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in the second week of June in Tehran, Iran. The championship will be a round-robin pool tournament. The 11 teams contesting in Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, Pacific Oceania, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Our national team includes Mousa Shanan, Ali Abdul Redha Al Sayegh, Jabr Al Mutawa and Mubarak Shanan under the supervision of coaches Mohammed Ammar and Mounir Laraj. At the moment, the team is undergoing intensive training in preparation for Davis Cup to continue the previous preparations done through the team participation at the GCC Cup in Kuwait in March and the series of the 3 Future tournaments hosted by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) in April.

Last February, promising Qatari line umpire, Nayef Fawzi, officiated in two men’s and women’s championships for professional tennis players in Dubai.

The number of participants in the tournament totalling 320 players of different nationalities and communities living in Doha, including 82 participants from Qatari team players in the 21 age group and of various categories including boys and girls singles and doubles, mixed doubles and men’s and woman’s singles and doubles.

The Qatari players excelled at the tournament and bagged the titles of the most age groups to and achieved first places after they succeeded in reaching the semi-finals and final.

Khalid Khulaifi said he expects the Qatari team players to achieve good results at this tournament because of the intensive training and good preparation that preceded this competition in addition to the recent participation at several tournaments that have contributed to enhancing the players skills and physical fitness.

In boys singles, the winners were Sheikh Jassim Al-Thani (U8), Nasser al-Zaidi (U8), Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (U10), Muhammad Rauf Amiral (U12) and Issa Shanan (U18). The Qatrai team of Hamad Mubarak Al Sulaiti Mohannadi won the U14 doubles, while the Qatari team of Issa Shanan and Omar Al Jufairi won the first place of U18 doubles.

The participation of our team at the Davis Cup comes in line with the QTF strategy of honing the skills of the players by participating at as many international, regional and even local tournaments as possible.

he sixth edition of the Qatar Tennis Federation Open Held from February 17 to March 2, witnessed a broad participation of Qatari team players and tennis enthusiasts in the State of Qatar, which gave it a great impetus and fueled the spirit of competition.

Tariq Zainal, QTF Assistant Secretary General, presided over the closing ceremony of the tournament in the presence of Sultan Khalfan, Tournament Director, and a number of QTF staff and coaches and parents of the players.

Khaled Al Khulaifi, Head of the National Teams Committee, said, “This tournament is one of the international tournaments that are considered a significant milestone in our players’ professional careers as they provide opportunities to play against players with rankings to help our players gain experience and enrich their skills. Therefore, we are always keen to participate in such tournaments.”

The tournament will be held at the Enghelab Sport Complex in Tehran. The Davis Cup is one of the most important tennis tournaments. It has attracted teams from 130 countries around the world.

Mashaal Al Khonji won U8 girls title and Fatima Amiral won the U18 girls singles title.

Mousa Shanan

Qatari player Ola Basil won second place in the women’s singles in addition to the woman’s doubles title with Regina Matiak. Ola Basil also won the mixed doubles title with Sultan Khalfan. ISSUE 9 - May 2014

ur national umpire made a very positive impression after his participation in umpiring many matches of the championship, including the semi-final match of Swiss legend Roger Federer and Serbian Novak Djokovic. With this participation, Nayef continued his successful international presence at the ATP and WTA championships and showcased a positive image of the ambitious Qatari youth that can excel at international competitions. He also was a very positive example of the skills of Qatari officials and their continuous desire to develop their abilities and gain more experience in the field of officiating through participation in running matches of continental and international championships. Nayef confirmed that his experience in umpiring matches international tournaments in Dubai was successful and said it gave him more experience and self-confidence and opened new opportunities of development in the field of officiating. He praised QTF’s role in developing his abilities by organizing many training courses in the field of officiating, making him shift gradually from officiating continental and local tournaments held in Qatar to representing the Qatari officials at major international tournaments. After playing tennis for many years and attending many theoretical and practical training courses at QTF, Nayef started his career in the field of officiating in 2009 and took part in officiating a large number of competitions and tournaments held in Qatar, then moved to officiating tournaments abroad.

Many events organized at Khalifa International tennis and squash Complex QTF celebrates World Tennis Day

ast March, Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) celebrated World Tennis Day with the aim of spreading tennis in Qatar on a larger scale and involving different segments of society in marking this day.

DAY! WORLD TENNIS

From New York to Hong Kong, QTF joined many countries to celebrate tennis through activities hosted by many cities across the globe attended by professional players, celebrities and enthusiasts for the second year in a row to celebrate the great successes achieved by tennis globally. Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex hosted many sporting events organized by QTF to mark the occasion highlighting the great development witnessed by tennis in the State of Qatar. Students participating in Schools Olympic Program (U8 and U10) showcased their tennis skills. QTF also organized a school festival for schools and the U10 Juniors Section held a festival and a championship for boys and girls. A corporate competition was also held with 28 male and female participants from ExxonMobil, Total, Ooredoo, 51 East, Aspetar and Alfardan Automobiles. Oliver Gerrard from Aspetar won the tournament title after beating Mazzin Kisasa of Exxon Mobil in the final. The World Tennis Day initiative came in the context of celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Tennis Federation (ITF). Dave Miley, ITF Executive Director, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This initiative offers the national federations an opportunity to shed more light on what we are doing to promote tennis in their countries.â&#x20AC;? The great success of the celebrations of the World Tennis Day in Qatar demonstrates the development and growth of the sport sector in the State, in general, and tennis in particular.

ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Report

Report Qatar Tennis Link presents a report on the most common injuries suffered by tennis players, their causes, methods of their prevention and treatment.

The concept of sports injury

ome scientists define sports injury as “a harmful change resulting from the exposure of body tissues to different internal or external severe or sudden influences during sport activity and causing anatomical and/or physiological changes which may disrupt or hinder the function of the damaged part of the body.” Tennis injuries mainly affect the ankle and knee joints in addition to the wrist, elbow, and shoulder. They also affect the muscles of the body by causing sprain, strain, spasm or tear.

Injuries: the nightmare of tennis stars

Which injuries are more common in tennis?

ennis players, like other athletes, are highly prone to injuries because tennis is characterized by powerful and fast muscle movements. Therefore, injury in tennis is highly probable. Dr Hakim Chalabi, Assistant Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of the National Sports Medicine Program, Aspetar: Qatar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, says the most common injuries for tennis players are those affecting the upper part of the body, specifically the shoulder and elbow (tennis elbow). The other membwwers of the body that are most vulnerable to injury are the ankle joints and leg muscles in addition to the back because tennis is a sport that requires asymmetric movements, so players focus on one side of the body, either the right or the left one, which leads to back problems.

In the world of the yellow ball: shoulder and elbow injuries are most prevalent Qatar Tennis Federation provides an integrated medical center for tennis players

Dr Hakim Chalabi

The shoulder is most prone body part to injury in tennis

he shoulder is one of the most affected joints by injuries in tennis because of the serving technique that makes the shoulder muscles and tendons most vulnerable to injury. Last year, Russian Maria Sharapova suffered from a shoulder injury, which forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Open in order to receive treatment and adequate rest.

Types of injuries Dr Hakim Chalabi classified Tennis injuries to two types, acute and chronic, as follows:

sports medicine, injuries still affect professionals and amateurs alike at a high incidence rate.

Sports injuries don’t spare professionals or amateurs. We always see the top tennis stars falling victim to injury, which forces them to be away from courts, even temporarily. In spite of the advances in the science of

Injury is an impediment to the development of tennis players because it disturbs their training schedules and prevents them from participating at tournaments, thus affecting their overall performance. So it is essential for both players and coaches to know the injuries common to tennis players and their causes in order to prevent them.

he nightmare of injuries haunts every sportsperson as injuries are always the main cause of forcing major sportsmen out of competitions and keeping sports fans from enjoying their performance.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal receiving treatment after suffering from an inflamed elbow at Wimbledon 2010 ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Chronic Injuries: The player suffers from this kind of injuries gradually and over time as a result of overdoing the same movement, like serving, and that often leads to inflammation of the elbow or shoulder tendons. This kind of injuries can also occur due to stressing the muscles, joints and soft tissues, causing the pain to grow and become chronic. Acute injuries: They have obvious symptoms and occur as a result of a direct trauma like a sudden fall of the player or a wrong movement. They can affect the ankle joint (sprain), shoulder or muscles (tear).

Report

Report very important as it contributes immensely to determining the duration of treatment and the seriousness of the injury. Moreover, the proper handling of injuries may save the player’s life or prevent any complications. Specialists stress that treating sports injuries generally requires taking sufficient care of the injury by the player, the coach and the doctor. It is also important for the treatment and rehabilitation to be done in a systematic way so the player can return to courts in full health.

How can injuries be prevented?

Like other sports injuries, treating tennis injuries can be done using ice, electrically or manually by massaging or rehabilitation exercises.

How does QTF deals with its players’ injuries

Q Nobody is immune to sports Injuries

njuries in tennis often occur suddenly, making predicting them difficult. So they don’t spare any player, amateur or professional. However, Dr Hakim Chalabi says that professional players can be more prone to sports injuries in spite of their good physique because the intensity of training and tournaments makes them more prone to chronic injuries that develop and continue over time. Since juniors and young tennis players are going through an important stage of physical preparation and performance and skill development, they should ensure that the intensity, quantity and quality of their training and competitions take into account their physical growth and age because any increase in the training sessions can lead to knee and ankle pains, he added. The Qatari junior team player Jassim Al Zeyara (16) recently suffered from a back injury that required just one week to be treated thanks to the QTF medical crew that provided a great care to him.

Causes of injures in tennis and methods of treatment

part in this regard, including those relating to the skills and physical performance of each player. For example, Swiss Roger Federer depends more on skills and technical performance whereas Rafael Nadal depends on his physical strength; therefore, the causes of injuries are not the same for either of them. Dr Chalabi identified the most important causes of tennis injuries as:

National team player, Jassim Al Zeyara (16) has recently suffered from a back injury for about a week after training exercises. Upon knowing about the pains, his coach accompanied him to QTF medical center.

1 – overtraining in a way that’s beyond the player’s capability 2 – employing an improper technique during play Specialists attribute players’ injuries to several internal and external factors including bad tennis equipment (rackets and shoes), poor diet, lack of warm-up exercises, insufficient sleep, poor psychological conditions, physiological changes in the body, neglecting treating injuries immediately and lack of rehabilitation in the event of any injury.

“Protecting the player from injury is a shared responsibility”: Anas Al Amarani

Surgical intervention?

he Executive Director of the National Sports Medicine Program said the injury severity, degree and type determine the nature and duration of treatment. Some tennis injuries may need surgical intervention like torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), whereas other injuries need only physiotherapy.

he prevalence of injuries among tennis players make us wonder about the reasons behind injuries and how to avoid and prevent them.

Last March, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina underwent a surgery after suffering a wrist injury in his left hand, a surgery that will keep him away from courts for six months.

Dr Hakim Chalabi says the causes of injury vary from one player to another as several elements play an important

Receiving a proper and immediate medical care after sudden injuries during training sessions or competitions is

TF gives great attention to the health of its national team players, especially with regard to injuries during training or competitions organized or hosted by the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Therefore, QTF provides in its headquarters a medical center that includes a physiotherapist, a massage therapist, in addition to physiotherapy and fitness equipment for rehabilitating injured players.

Jassim told us that he had a physiotherapy treatment at the center for three days and his coach kept in touch with the medical team about his health condition. During the period of his injury he has special training sessions that were less stressful than usual.

He also stressed that it is important for the team coach to be qualified and experienced in providing first aid to deal with any sudden injury, especially at competitions. He warns that providing wrong first aid may cause the player serious complications.

revention remains the most important way of injury treatment because avoiding injuries is as important as training and competing. Therefore, tennis players should protect themselves and learn about how to prevent common injuries to ensure continuity of their career and achieve their highest possible performance. Dr Hakim Chalabi said injury prevention can be achieved if a set of guidelines and rules are followed, especially taking a medical check up before any sport activity to determine the health condition of the player and avoid any possible injury. The coach also should be qualified and experienced in dealing with all stages of injuries. The parents should follow up their children and provide a proper healthy atmosphere to prevent them from being injured, he stressed. The player and the coach should also pay attention to warmup and stretching exercises and the safety of the equipment used like the rackets and shoes, in addition to proper and healthy diet, he recommends.

he majority of injuries happen suddenly, so it is difficult to predict when and where they occur. However, injuries may sometimes force players to end their entire sports career. Are players primarily responsible for the injuries? Anas Al Amarani, Qatar U14 team coach, says injuries are an integral part of the career of all sportspeople. Therefore, they have to be prepared to adapt and deal with any injury. He stressed that the coach bears a great responsibility in terms of training players to prevent and avoid the causes of injuries, teaching them the correct and proper techniques to hit the ball, paying attention to warm-up exercises and ensuring the safety of the sports equipment used (the weight of racket and the string tension) in addition to proper diet, medical follow-up in case of any injury and adhering to the physician’s advice about the nature of the player’s return to courts. ISSUE 9 - May 2014

Jassim Al Zeyara during physiotherapy 31