Women memebers of Tennis Emirates keen to play their role

Dubai: The two new women members in Tennis Emirates are targeting UAE schools and parents to widen the base of the sport in the country.

“At first we would need to take stock of the existing situation as far as the development of tennis is concerned.

“After that we will set a time-frame to operate and bring in new kids into the sport along with support from parents and school authorities,” Ameenah Taher, the new head of Development and Strategy at TE told Gulf News.

“This is a brand new challenge for me and I welcome it. But I feel I have a good team around me to make this happen,” she added.

“We need to take stock of the situation that tennis is in at the moment and then see how we can improve on the weak points.

“The ultimate aim would be to ensure the popularity of tennis in the UAE so that we have a strong national squad.”

Sarah Baqer, who has been entrusted with the development of women’s tennis, pretty much towed the same line.

“As a sport, tennis has so many benefits. So among my first task will be to promote the potential of tennis,” Baqer said.

The new member also related that she was aware of some misunderstandings between parents and tennis authorities in the past.

“Those things need to belong to the past. I am here to act as a bridge. I intend speaking to the parents and see how things go. Maybe we would need to meet half-way,” she added.