Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to watch the Barclay's Dubai Tennis Championships from courtside. And that is why Mohammad Shaban's job is so important each year.
As press officer, Shaban has the vital role of informing the world, through television, newspapers, radio and magazines, of the results, stats and stories from the two-week event.
On average he is asked more than 200 questions every day during the tournament — and still manages to find the time to eat.
What is your name and job title?
Mohammad Shaban, Senior Executive- Public Relations.
What job title do you take during the tennis?
Press officer.
How long have you lived in Dubai?
Three years.
What is the best thing about working at the tennis?
I'm a tennis fan so I really enjoy being in the stadium for the two-week event.
What has been the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is always to provide the best service we can to the huge numbers of media who come year after year to our tournament. It is important to keep everybody informed about the tournament as many people can't actually watch the games in person.
What does your job entail?
The day-to-day operations of the press office which means, media accreditation for the first few days, and when the tournament starts, we make sure the match results and stats are available in the press office as soon as they come through from the WTA or ATP. Coordinating post match interviews, media round tables, distributing daily press releases and photos of matches played throughout the day or off-court activities with players. Updating the tournament's website… the list goes on.
How many media people come each year?
The number is increasing year after year, but we accredit over 250 journalists and photographers from all over the world, over the period of two weeks.
Is it hard to deal with all the requests?
Sometimes it's difficult, but again, we have some excellent staff and volunteers assisting in the press office.
What is the worst thing about your job?
I don't get to watch any of the matches, as I'm either at the press office writing press releases or handling interviews. However, I don't miss the finals.
How do you feel when you see all the coverage each year?
It feels great. You just look back at the effort that has been put to make the event such a great success, and you ask yourself, how we are going to top that next year.
