ABU DHABI Karim Najia’s big moment arrived when his country Lebanon qualified to participate in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania ITF World Junior Tennis final qualifying event in New Delhi, currently underway till April 26.
The top team in this event will get a shot at glory by qualifying for the World Junior Tennis Finals, to be held at Prostejov in the Czech Republic from August 4 to 9.
After a great performance in the Malaysian leg last month that saw Lebanon get a ticket to the final qualifying event, it was celebration time for the team which qualified for this stage for the first time. “It’s a very big opportunity, especially since I’m playing for a country and in a team and not just for myself,” Dubai resident Karim told XPRESS.
“Our immediate goal would be to win our matches and help our team to qualify. I want us to finish in the top four and qualify for the next level. Playing Davis Cup is a dream-come-true and all the players are looking forward to it. It feels strange to represent a country. It’s an honour, but also a responsibility so the pressure is always there. But I know how to handle it,” added Karim, the number one player in the team.
The 13-year-old, a student at the Lycee Francais Georges Pompidou school in Dubai, trains with the PSS Tennis Academy Dubai under the guidance of head coach Sigi Meeuws. “The team has been of great support. Sigi has been very important to me and has helped me get stronger mentally as well as tactically.
“He also helps me off the court. We travel together. The best place is his mother’s house in Belgium. She’s an amazing cook,” said Karim.
He added he was lucky to have parents who supported him all the way. “My parents have always been supporting me. Mum drives me, prepares my things and dad used to coach me. Now, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brother and sister are all part of my dream team.”
His coach Meeuws said: “Karim is a very talented and gifted player. He can achieve a lot if he continues. He is for sure on track for a scholarship Division 1 in USA, but I believe he has more in him.
“It is an amazing experience as Karim is playing as number one for his team so he will play all the best players of the other countries. It is great to travel and get extra experience as a player in a team competition” he added.
