Sport | Tennis
Seniors' tennis contest starts
The inaugural edition of the Dubai ITF Seniors Tennis Championships will get under way at the Aviation Club tennis courts from 11 am on Tuesday.
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:22 March 2, 2009
- Image Credit: Andrew Cabalerro-Reynolds/Gulf News
- Liz Voltman, former professional women's player, is the senior tournament director.
Dubai: The inaugural edition of the Dubai ITF Seniors Tennis Championships will get under way at the Aviation Club tennis courts from 11 am on Tuesday.
The tournament was announced by Alan Mills, the tennis referee of Wimbledon fame, Liz Voltman, a former player and tournament director and Slah Bramly, Technical Director of Tennis Emirates.
As many as 75 players from 27 different nationalities have confirmed for this tournament being held under sanction from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
"It's so exciting to be here and I am glad I am part of this event that I foresee as a regular one on the tennis calendar," noted Mills, who has also been the tournament referee for the Barclays WTA Dubai Tennis Championships for the past nine years.
"We hope the players enjoy playing here as much we enjoy having them around. We will make sure everyone gets to play," Mills added.
Competition will be held for both men and women starting from 35 years to 80 years. "This tournament will answer the needs of a whole section of players who have not been catered to for the past so many years," Bramly stated.
"At Tennis Emirates we are always eager to lend a helping hand and support and promote the growth of tennis," he added. Players, both from the UAE and other countries, are pleased to have such a competition here. "It's been long overdue," remarked Dennis Sabourin, one of the participants in the over-50 years category.
"Hopefully we will be able to attract some top players in future, to this event," he hoped.
Chris Wind, a former top professional on the international squash circuit, was surprised to have an ITF-sanctioned event here. "This tournament may be the right one to get me back on the Tour, the only thing is that this time it will be tennis and not squash," Wind said.
Also travelling for the tournament are the Indian duo of Nani Rao and Raju P.R., both members of the national squad that stood 14th at the World Seniors Teams Tennis Championships held in Antalya, Turkey in October last year. The oldest competitor will be Great Britain's Paul Drane, who turns 79 on April 4.
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