Dubai : The universal appeal of the Equelite Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy couldn't have been showcased any better than here in Dubai. The hugely popular camp, having finally found permanent residence here, has attracted youngsters from as far-flung places as Wisconsin in the US, Denmark and Buenos Aires in its latest installment at the Emirates Golf Club.
The likes of Max Zlevor, Daniel Dupont Hansen and Julian Ponti give the camp a truly international flavour, but hogging the limelight with her power-packed strokes and striking features is Natasha Afridi, a player of Pakistani-Japanese descent.
The 17-year-old from Al Ain has caught the fancy of coach Luis Migues Reis. "She's really good. With the kind of game she has, she should be able to get a NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Level 1 scholarship in the US," he told XPRESS as the three-month camp begins to wind down ahead of the holidays.
As for the Class XII student of Al Ain English Speaking School, it's been quite a rise in stature from her days in Pakistan. "I learnt the basics back home, but it's only after I joined here that my game has really improved," she said. Afridi, who reached the doubles final at the ITF tournament in Dubai recently, believes she is mentally a lot stronger now as well. "My parents encourage me to go for my tennis, but they are also serious about my studies. Left to myself, I'd probably have just played, but I understand what they want," she said.
American presence
A similar case in point is NCAA student Zlevor from Wisconsin. "My brother Nick trains here at this academy and so I thought ‘what better way than to spend my holidays than train here'. Here, they focus on the all-round game, the mental aspect and the fitness, which has really helped me. I want to be a lawyer, but let's see where tennis takes me," he said.
Argentinian Monti's goal is also to land a scholarship in the US and he has been with the academy for three years now. "It's like my second home here," said the Class XI student of the Dubai American Academy, adding: "The coach and the training here is so good, that I keep coming back again and again."
Amid the youngsters planning ahead with the aim of getting scholarships, stands out Dane Hansen, who is being sent to the parent academy in Spain to continue training under Ferrero himself. "Daniel is very serious about his tennis and wants to turn pro, which is why he is going to Spain. He will also be playing 28 ITF tournaments next year," Reis said.
Hansen on his part said: "I do home schooling which gives me more time to play tennis. Next year is a big one for me, for besides the tournaments, I will also be playing against the best juniors at the academy in Spain. My aim is to finish within the top 350 next year," he said.
Such is the response from youngsters around the world that Reis revealed he had received several requests from youngsters who wanted to move over to train. "We will soon be starting residential facilities here. We are also planning to have one, maybe two clay courts which would give us the chance to host more youngsters," he said.
The camp came to an end yesterday with a tournament rounding off proceedings on the last day.
