More than 400 school children from across the UAE took to the courts on February 19 on the first day of play at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium as part of the WTA J.P. Morgan Kids’ Day. The event included a tennis clinic for all ages and skill levels, entertainment, photo opportunities and a meet-and-greet with some top WTA players.
The two hour-long clinic was led by tennis coaches from the Clark Francis Tennis Academy and gave kids an opportunity to learn about the sport. WTA players Christina McHale and Lauren Davis were special guests and gave the kids tips on how to improve their game and answered questions.
“This morning was a lot of fun, I love interacting with kids and there were some great hitters out there, some had a lot of power. It’s great to be here and I’m really looking forward to this year’s tournament,” said Davis.
Mohammad, aged 11 from Gems School Royal Dubai School, said: “I had a great time this morning. I’ve been playing tennis for a long time but I had a break and now I think I’ll take it back up again.”
Tournament Director Salah Talak said the number of children that take part in the sessions continues to grow every year.
“We are committed to supporting the development of the sport in the region and we hope to see many of today’s budding tennis players become stars in the future like their idols,” he said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runs until March 4. Tickets for every day of the event including the finals are still available on dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com.
