Dubai: The UAE’s tennis coach is hoping the squad’s two most experienced players do not part ways as the country re-aligns priorities for next year’s Davis Cup.
Last week, the five-member UAE squad earned a promotion to Group III in the Asia/Oceania Zone in Amman, Jordan with successive 3-0 wins against Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The squad was led by the experienced Omar Behroozian and Mahmoud Nader Al Beloushi, two players who have been involved in the country’s Davis Cup campaigns for two decades now.
The team returned to a warm welcome from Amman earlier this week and Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum, and Sara Ahmad Baqer, President and General Secretary, Tennis Emirates (TE) went on record to say that the UAE can now ride on the junior brigade and target Group II in the future.
The younger players in the squad include Abdul Rahman Al Janahi (21), Fahad Al Janahi (18), Abdullah Ahli (18) and Faris Al Janahi (17).
“What is more important at this moment is the need to retain both Omar [Behroozian] and Mahmoud [Nader] simply because of the experience they bring into the squad. We cannot afford to lose them now as they both have an influence on the younger players in the squad,” Hisham Bramly, UAE tennis coach, told Gulf News.
“From my experience, both Omar and Mahmoud have a role to play in the future and we should ensure we do not lose their services from the national team. Omar was with us for the one-month camp in France and Mahmoud joined later, and both made the squad feel complete,” he added.
