The man behind the tennis

It started when he brought a little piece of Ireland to Dubai. Ask Colm McLoughlin if he ever imagined by recreating the tiny post office from his home town in County Galway it would one day be home to the Dubai Tennis Championships and he'd probably say "not in a million years".

But give or take a few minor details and frills — that's pretty much the gist of it.

When it comes to the Dubai Tennis Championships, Colm is one man who has quite simply seen it all.

Many would argue the competition would not even exist if it wasn't for him. But ask him yourself and he'd adamantly deny both of the above.

Meet Colm McLoughlin — one of the most modest men on earth.

The Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free — the company which owns and runs the annual sporting event — Colm has been involved in the DTC since it's earliest inception more than 17 years ago.

He's met the players, shared jokes with the umpires, had lunch with the trainers and looked after the ever-growing crowds which arrive each year to watch the games.

Snowballing

Colm said: "When I look back now I am amazed at how much it has all grown. Each idea was a small one and it all just snowballed and became what we see today. We have always received lots of support and have a great team at Dubai Duty Free."

The Dubai Tennis Championships (DTC) has grown from a small annual competition which started in 1992 after Colm, over coffee with friends, dreamed a tennis tournament would be a great sponsorship opportunity for a company such as Dubai Duty Free.

But 17 years later Colm is reluctant to take much of the credit for the popular event we know and love today.

He said: "The DTC is a success each year because of the fantastic team we have working for us. The event is run in-house and all our staff pull together to make the event a reality.

"Almost everyone employed by Dubai Duty Free has a job either pre, during or post the championships and I am more proud of that fact than anything else."

But no matter what he says and what support he had, Colm had a vision and it still exists today.

He added: "I knew the Irish pub concept was a good one but I really wanted to create a small home-from-home.

"The only thing on this site was the Aviation Club and a croquet lawn. We asked permission to open an Irish bar and it was granted. The rest just went from there really. We built the stadium from scratch after some short negotiations and the rest as they say, is history."

Passionate

Colm is clearly passionate about the DTC, but there's something unique about his passion as a managing director.

Spend just five minutes with the guy and you'll see it's not about the money he makes, it's not about the fame, it's not even about the glamour of the event or meeting the stars and players, it's about tennis in Dubai — that's all.

"Yes, over the years I've played golf with Ivan Lendl, Tim Henman and Federer, but the real buzz comes from the atmosphere the tennis championships create in the UAE.

"It gets youngsters excited about tennis and one of my dreams is to one day see a local national player win the championship."

Impressive

But with the prize money and player specs getting more impressive each year, Colm admits there are a few things which will one day have to give.

He said: "The biggest challenge is the capacity. It holds 5,000 people and the tickets sell out in hours. It's always a shame that not everyone gets to experience it due to the size of the stadium.

"But I'm not a fan of these double-layered stadiums where you need binoculars to watch the match. When we eventually burst out of here we will need a new stadium. But to be honest —what a nice challenge to have! It's a wonderful compliment to all at the DTC."

This year the Dubai Tennis Championships will be televised into 400 million homes across the world, offering major coverage for sponsors as well as Dubai as a tourist destination.

Colm added: "I am very proud of the event but I do have to thank an incredible team from Dubai Duty Free around me."