Frankly Speaking: Is tennis the next ‘Grand Slam’ for Saudi sports?

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Updated 18 February 2024
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Frankly Speaking: Is tennis the next ‘Grand Slam’ for Saudi sports?

  • Hundreds of thousands of women and girls are now taking part in sports, says Saudi Tennis Federation president
  • Arij Mutabagani invites critics to visit the Kingdom now in ‘a phase of change’ and see the progress for themselves

DUBAI: Tennis is fast becoming a popular sport in Saudi Arabia with thousands of young people, including women and girls, signing up to clubs and taking part in tournaments across the Kingdom, Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, has said.

Appearing on Arab News’ current affairs show “Frankly Speaking,” Mutabagani said one only had to look at the numbers to see the sport’s huge potential, raising the possibility of the Kingdom taking part in — or even hosting — major tournaments.

“Saudi Arabia has gone through a great transformation, especially when it comes to the world of sports and female participation,” said Mutabagani.

“The numbers speak for themselves. We have increased female participation in sports. Now, we have 330,000 females registered in sports and around 14,000 female participants in tennis.”

Much of this success is down to government initiatives introduced under the Vision 2030 reform agenda, which has made investment in sport and the promotion of public health and well-being top priorities.

“We have a huge program with the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Sports For All Federation, where we would like to introduce tennis as a new sport to children,” said Mutabagani.

“We started in 2023 with 30 schools across Saudi Arabia. We’ve increased it to 90 schools, later in 2023 and 2024. We are expanding to 400 schools.” The initiative is gender neutral and split between boys’ and girls’ schools, she said.

“Back in 2019, we had no female participation in clubs. Now, we have seven clubs that have female participation,” she added, noting that the newly created women’s national team has already played in 20 events.

“We’ve had an increase in participation. We had 90 females playing in 2019. Now, we have 700 females registered playing tennis.”

The Saudi Sports for All Federation is responsible for the development of community sports and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle across the Kingdom, in line with the country’s long-term development plan for social and economic progress, Vision 2030.

“We’ve seen tennis introduced in clubs,” Mutabagani told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.” “In 2019, we had zero clubs participating in tournaments. Now, we have seven clubs that have female participants. We have increased the number of tennis tournaments for females. We had three. Now, we have 20. You can see there is big progress.”




Saudi youngsters such as Yara Alhogbani are leading the way in building a thriving tennis community in the Kingdom. (Supplied)

Despite these successes, tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova recently said a lack of gender equality in Saudi Arabia ought to prohibit the Kingdom from hosting big events like the Women’s Tennis Association Finals.

In a statement, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador to the US, rejected Evert and Navratilova’s “beyond disappointing” arguments.

“Like many women around the world, we looked to the legends of tennis as trailblazers and role models… glimmers of hope that women truly could achieve it all,” she said.

“But these champions have turned their back on the very same women they have inspired and it is beyond disappointing.”

Undeterred by Evert and Navratilova’s comments, Mutabagani invited the tennis stars to visit the Kingdom to witness firsthand the transformation in Saudi sports and the huge strides in women’s participation.

“Be part of this journey in changing and transforming tennis and especially female participation. We will learn a lot from them, and they’d just have to come and see for themselves,” she said.

“They’ve done so much for tennis and for female participation, and gender equality and getting equal prize money. I respect that everyone is free to say and comment.

“But I would really like to invite them to come to Saudi Arabia and really see the progress. We are in a phase of change. We are trying to change.”

Mutabagani hopes the Kingdom will soon host a tennis major event or Grand Slam, as it will further encourage Saudis to take up the sport.

“Everything and anything is possible,” she said. “Bringing this kind of international event to the country will only shed more light on the sport of tennis. It will make it more popular.

“The players will have role models to look up to. It will inspire a new generation to really work harder and train harder to become champions in the future, and be able to compete in these tournaments in their country.”




Appearing on “Frankly Speaking,” Arij Mutabagan told host Katie Jensen one only had to look at the numbers to see the sport’s huge potential in Saudi Arabia, raising the possibility of the Kingdom taking part in, or even hosting, major tournaments. (AN Photo)

She added: “We’re working hard on it. We’re working closely with the WTA and the ATP to try to make this possible and happen, hopefully in the near future.”

While nothing is set in stone, Mutabagani is hopeful that the WTA or ATP will choose the Kingdom to host a Grand Slam.

“We are trying to have and build a long-lasting relationship with the official governing bodies of tennis, whether it’s ATP, WTA or ITF,” she said.

“We successfully delivered the Next Gen finals last year in Jeddah, so we started this relationship with the ATP. Now, we’re also trying to build up the relationship with the WTA.”

Grand Slam championships, the most prestigious tournaments in professional tennis, are organized by the WTA and ATP, and overseen by the International Tennis Federation.

Mutabagani predicts these pro events will help to increase participation in amateur sports across Saudi Arabia, particularly among the youth.

“We’re still in discussions,” she said. “But our goal is to build all of these relationships for the long term that will help develop tennis in Saudi Arabia, whether it is big events or lower events, from challenges to futures, because that will improve the level of our local tennis players.”

Saudi Arabia has sought to increase its sporting presence by establishing the LIV Golf series, signing top soccer players like Christiano Ronaldo and hosting the 2023 Next Generation ATP Finals.

“Tennis has taken a very important part in the transformation of sports in Saudi Arabia,” said Mutabagani. “We have seen that by the increased number of events specifically in tennis. In 2022, we started hosting the first international junior tournament that took place in Riyadh.”

The Kingdom hosted its first professional tournament in 2019 with the Diriyah Tennis Cup. It parlayed its success from 2019 to 2022 into the Next Gen ATP Finals, which are being hosted in Riyadh from 2023 to 2027.

The Six Kings Slam men’s tennis exhibition will feature international tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic plus three other Grand Slam winners in October.

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Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, rejected calls by tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for a ban on holding the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Saudi Arabia. Click here to read more.

Given the sport’s relative novelty in Saudi Arabia, there were some initial doubts about how popular tennis events would be. However, Mutabagani says the players have been thrilled by the number of spectators turning out to matches.

“They have been extremely happy with the audiences,” she said. “We had the full stadium for the exhibition match in Riyadh. Tickets were sold out and the audience was really, really engaged.

“We’ve noticed that the audience understood the game of tennis, which is very important.”

Top international players typically begin playing in sports academies or clubs as young children. The Kingdom will need experienced coaches, trainers and specialized facilities to retain its own top talent.

“Our main aim is to start with the grassroots and introduce tennis to all the population, and then grow it from there and concentrate on the high performance,” said Mutabagani.

One young Saudi tennis star to emerge is 19-year-old Yara Al-Hogbani.

“She is a great ambassador for the sport, and inspiring the new generation of little kids, whether boys or girls,” said Mutabagani.

Al-Hogbani played in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open this year with top international players like Ons Jabeur, a Tunisian who is WTA number six, and Naomi Osaka from Japan — the first Asian player ranked number one in the world.

“(Al-Hogbani) worked very hard from a very young age,” said Mutabagani. “She has two other siblings who are also national players.”

She played with her oldest brother, Ammar, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, making history as the Kingdom’s first professional mixed doubles team. Their middle brother, Saud, plays at Wake Forest University in the US.

Al-Hogbani also met tennis legends like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the newly minted ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah in December. Nadal has committed to helping Saudi Arabia develop its young talent.

“It has given her the chance to feel what it is to be at those high levels and it has inspired her to work harder, try harder and to reach higher levels in the future,” said Mutabagani. “Having these chances can turn somebody’s future around and they can … be stars for the next generations.”

Asked what her message would be to young Saudis who are considering taking up tennis, Mutabagani, herself a lifelong tennis player, said: “I would tell them to really grab a tennis racket, try the sport, play tennis, be the Next Gen champion, be a role model on the court and off the court.

“Because tennis is a life learning experience, it teaches us to be great human beings before being sportsmen. So, be an ambassador for tennis in Saudi Arabia on and off the court.”

 

 


Lewandowski hits Champions League century as Barca beat Brest

Updated 8 sec ago
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Lewandowski hits Champions League century as Barca beat Brest

  • It made Lewandowski only the third player to reach that milestone in the competition, behind former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, on 129, and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140

BARCELONA: Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal as Barcelona beat Brest 3-0 to climb provisionally second in the Champions League group standings on Tuesday.
The veteran striker slotted home from the spot in the 10th minute to fire the Catalans ahead and reach his milestone, adding a second late on after Dani Olmo’s goal to inflict the French side’s first defeat.
After dropping points in their last two outings in La Liga, coach Hansi Flick had urged his players to “eliminate” mistakes in their game and Barca produced a solid display.
They got off the mark quickly when Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot clumsily clattered into the back of Lewandowski after the forward controlled Pedri’s cross on his chest.
The striker dusted himself down and dispatched the penalty clinically to open the scoring after 10 minutes and bring up his century.
It made Lewandowski only the third player to reach that milestone in the competition, behind former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, on 129, and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140.
Under Flick, the forward’s form has improved significantly this season, reaching 22 goals in 19 appearances between La Liga and the Champions League.
The 36-year-old has made 125 Champions League appearances with Barcelona and before that German sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
“I am very happy, many years ago I did not think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League,” Lewandowski told Movistar.
“For me the most important thing is that we try to win every game, if I can score, then that’s the perfect solution.
“I don’t know how many games we have left before the end of the year but we have to win them all and rest over Christmas.”
Barcelona were still without teenage star Lamine Yamal, recovering from an ankle problem, but Raphinha was busy on the right and the Catalans dominated proceedings.
They did not create many clear chances though until Fermin Lopez forced a fine save from Bizot with a diving header.
The Dutch goalkeeper made amends for his earlier mistake by denying the Spaniard with his leg.
Lopez again came close early in the second half when Lewandowski put him in with a neat flick but Bizot was alert to save his low effort.
Playmaker Olmo had an effort scrambled off the line by Brendan Chardonnet as Barcelona sought to put the game to bed.
The former RB Leipzig midfielder eventually grabbed the second in the 66th minute when he received Gerard Martin’s pass in the box, showing some nifty footwork to dodge Chardonnet and beat Bizot at the near post.
Brest thumped RB Salzburg 4-0 and had dropped just two points from their first four matches despite sitting in mid-table in Ligue 1, but were brought down to earth at the Olympic Stadium.
Mathias Pereira Lage drilled home to momentarily delight nearly 3,000 traveling supporters but their joy was curtailed when the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Barca substitute Pablo Torre should have netted Barcelona’s third when he intercepted a pass with just the goalkeeper to beat, but fired wide.
Instead the job fell to Lewandowski and he rolled home his 101st Champions League goal with aplomb, beyond Bizot’s outstretched arm.
Brest fall a few places down the table but their strong start to the campaign means they are well placed to secure at least a play-off spot, while Barcelona are aiming to reach the last 16 directly.
Flick’s side travel to last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund next, before visiting Benfica and hosting Atalanta.


Man City blows 3-goal lead and gets booed by fans in draw with Feyenoord in Champions League

Updated 24 min 28 sec ago
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Man City blows 3-goal lead and gets booed by fans in draw with Feyenoord in Champions League

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City’s players were booed by their own fans Tuesday after blowing a three-goal lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League to extend their winless run to six games.
Jeers rang around the Etihad Stadium after the final whistle of a dramatic 3-3 draw.
After five-straight losses in all competitions, City looked to be cruising to victory after going three up inside 50 minutes. But Feyenoord mounted an improbable comeback and leveled the game in the 89th minute to leave the home crowd stunned.
While the worst losing streak of Guardiola’s managerial career was brought to an end, his wait for a first win since Oct. 26 goes on.
Erling Haaland had scored twice, with Ilkay Gundogan also on target to put City in control. But goals from Anis Hadj Moussa in the 75th, Santiago Gimenez in the 82nd and David Hancko in the 89th turned the game on its head.
City’s players, including Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol and Haaland looked visibly frustrated as they left the field to cheers of the delirious traveling Dutch fans in the away section of the stadium.
City plays Premier League leader Liverpool on Sunday — defeat would leave it 11 points adrift of its title rival.

Al-Hilal book spot in knockout stage of AFC Champions League Elite

Updated 23 min 29 sec ago
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Al-Hilal book spot in knockout stage of AFC Champions League Elite

  • The 3 Saudi teams maintain stranglehold on 12-team Group B after matchday 5 of 8, with Al-Ahli top on 15 points, followed by Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr on 13
  • Riyadh side open scoring in 10th minute but Al-Sadd remain a threat throughout highly competitive encounter and the pressure pays off with an equalizer after 71 minutes

DOHA: A 1-1 draw with Al-Sadd in Qatar on Tuesday was enough for Al-Hilal to book their place in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Elite with three group games to spare.
The three Saudi teams in the competition maintain their stranglehold on the 12-team Group B after the fifth round of games, with Al-Ahli topping the group on a maximum 15 points, two ahead of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. All three have already qualified for the last 16.
During a highly competitive encounter in Qatar, the result of which might have gone either way, Al-Sadd asked some tough questions of the visitors early on, perhaps aware of how Al-Khaleej came back from two goals down to defeat Al-Hilal 3-2 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.
However, it was the men from Riyadh who opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Mohammed Kanno rose high at the near post to meet a Salem Al-Dawsari corner and flick it on to defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, who was waiting to slide the ball home from close range with the kind of goal-scoring instincts teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic would surely have been proud of.
Five minutes later, the Serbian striker himself had a great chance but headed over with the goal at his mercy. Marcos Leonardo came closer just before the break with a low shot from outside the box that goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham did well to get a hand to.
It was not all one-way traffic, however. Al-Sadd, winners of the Champions League in 2011, had a couple of good efforts in the first half, with Youcef Atal and Mohammed Camara asking the questions.
Early in the second half, Akram Afif — recently crowned the successor to Al-Dawsari as AFC Player of the Year — shot just wide from outside the box as he tried to get more into the game.
The tie was almost put beyond the home side on the hour mark but Mitrovic shot just wide from close range after Nasser Al-Dawsari whipped in a fierce cross from the left.
Al-Sadd, however, started to pile on the pressure and were rewarded with the equalizer in the 71st minute. Afif curled a low cross around the defense from the left and Paulo Otavio got to the ball just ahead of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Al-Sadd continued to press forward and looked the likelier of the two teams to score, with Tarek Salman heading against the crossbar with Bounou beaten.
There was still time, though for the video assistant referee to consider, and reject, three Al-Hilal shouts for penalties, the last of which came in the 15th minute of added time. Ultimately, though, the spoils were shared and that was enough for Al-Hilal on the night.


AC Milan and Atletico Madrid each win to near automatic qualifying spots in Champions League

Updated 26 November 2024
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AC Milan and Atletico Madrid each win to near automatic qualifying spots in Champions League

  • Christian Pulisic put the seven-time champion ahead midway through the first half by finishing off a counterattack
  • Alvaraz and Griezmann lead Atletico to 6-0 rout

ROME: AC Milan followed up their win at Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at last-place Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Christian Pulisic put the seven-time champion ahead midway through the first half by finishing off a counterattack. Then Rafael Leao restored the Rossoneri’s advantage after Tigran Barseghyan had equalized for Bratislava and Tammy Abraham quickly added another.
Nino Marcelli scored with a long-range strike in the 88th for Bratislava, which ended with 10 men.
Milan moved up to 10th place in the new single-league format and within sight of the automatic qualifying spots. Bratislava have lost all five of their matches.
Milan won 3-1 at Madrid in their previous match.
Alvaraz and Griezmann lead Atletico to 6-0 rout
Argentina World Cup winner Julian Alvaraz scored twice, and Atletico Madrid routed Sparta Prague 6-0 to move up to ninth.
Alvaraz scored with a free kick 15 minutes in and Marcos Llorente added a long-range strike before the break. Alvaraz finished off a counterattack early in the second half after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann, who then marked his 100th Champions League game by getting on the scoresheet himself.
Angel Correa added a late brace for Atletico.
Atletico beat Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round and extended their winning streak across all competitions to six matches.
Sparta remained in the elimination places with four points.
The top eight finishers in the standings advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into a knockout playoffs round in February, while the bottom 12 teams are eliminated.


Saudi Arabia overcome Thailand hurdle to set up thrilling qualification finale

Updated 26 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia overcome Thailand hurdle to set up thrilling qualification finale

  • Saudi Arabia chased a target of 134 runs in 18.4 overs to end Thailand’s qualification hopes
  • Thailand was restricted to 133-7 in 20 overs after exceptional bowling from the player of the match, Zain Ul Abidin

Saudi Arabia registered their third win in a row in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier as they beat Thailand by five wickets in Qatar on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia chased a target of 134 runs in 18.4 overs to end Thailand’s qualification hopes. The Kingdom had a rough start to the tournament with consecutive losses in the first two matches. With this win, Saudi Arabia now have a chance to finish in the top two and qualify for the regional finals.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia invited Thailand to bat first at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. Thailand was restricted to 133-7 in 20 overs after exceptional bowling from the player of the match, Zain Ul Abidin.

The left-arm spinner gave away just 19 runs in his four-over spell with the wickets of Nitish Salekar and Udsak Saranonnakkun, both in the sixth over of the innings. His double wicket meant Thailand slumped to 46-3 in the powerplay.

Opener Akshyakumar Yadav fought a lone battle at the top of the batting order, scoring 60 runs. He hit seven fours and a six in his 51-ball innings. He received little support from skipper Austin Lazarus toward the end. Lazarus hit five fours and a six in his 25-ball 35.

Ul Abidin was supported by two wickets from Abdul Wahid and one each from Ishtiaq Ahmad and Waji Ul Hassan.

In reply, Saudi Arabia lost Wahid in the second over after he was caught behind for just six runs. A centurion in the previous match, Faisal Khan continued his hitting prowess with five fours and a six in his 34-run innings. Siddharth Sankar kept the runs flowing with a run-a-ball 37, which included three boundaries.

Saudi Arabia lost wickets at regular intervals, but Manan Ali and Ul Abidin saw them home. Both were unbeaten on identical 13 runs off 10 balls each. Nopphon Senamontree and Sarawit Maliwan took two wickets each while Salekar grabbed a wicket for Thailand.

The other match on the day saw Qatar concede a 29-run defeat against UAE, which means the Saudi Arabia vs. Qatar match could be a winner-takes-all match on the final day. The UAE, on the other hand, have booked their place in the regional finals with five wins out of five. They have an unassailable 10-point lead at the top and will face Bahrain on the final day.

Bahrain themselves are on six points and will need to beat the UAE to have any chance of qualification. The final round of fixtures will be played on Thursday with qualification hopefuls Qatar and Saudi Arabia facing each other. Qatar has eight points and Saudi Arabia has six, meaning a UAE win and their win in the final match will be enough as Saudi Arabia already has a superior run rate to Qatar.

Opener Khan was ecstatic with the result and was focused on the next match. “We got the result today and we are happy. Now our focus is on the next match. Like today, the match against Qatar is a final for us and inshallah, we will qualify for the next round,” he said.

The top two teams from this tournament will join the final round of regional qualifiers. Malaysia and Kuwait have already booked their spot from the Asia Group A qualifier, while Samoa and Japan are representing the East Asia-Pacific region. Nepal, Oman, and Papua New Guinea will also compete in the regional finals as they have qualified for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup held in the US and West Indies. The regional qualifier will be played in Malaysia in August 2025.