Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur wants to share her passion for the sport with athletes with disabilities, so they grow to love the game and can make a mark on the court at the international level.
One of the most prominent Arab athletes, who has ranked as high as world No 2, Ms Jabeur signed an agreement with Special Olympics UAE to encourage more people with developmental disabilities to take up tennis and make the sport more inclusive.
“Having Special Olympics with us in a collaboration, it's really amazing. This is our new family,” Ms Jabeur told The National.
“I believe in sharing the passion of playing tennis. The idea is for them to have fun, to enjoy playing tennis, hopefully compete internationally. I'm hoping we can help them train better and to enjoy every moment on the courts.”
Ms Jabeur is one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour and launched a tennis academy in Dubai last year. She took a break from the circuit to have a baby boy in April and hopes to return to the court next year.
Enjoy tennis
A group of 10 Special Olympics athletes knocked about some tennis balls with the Tunisian ace and coaches during a practice session at the Ons Jabeur Tennis Academy in Dubai’s Academic City.
The aim is to identify budding talent, provide expert guidance and build a training programme to develop skills in the sport. The academy hopes to inspire more people to take up tennis.
“We need to try everything and with our help and their motivation to play I think we can make a lot of things happen,” said Ms Jabeur.
“It's going to be even sweeter because it's difficult and hopefully we can make the path easier for them. But the most important thing is I want them to enjoy tennis, see tennis from our perspective and enjoy it as much as possible.”
Coaches and staff at Ms Jabeur’s academy will attend Special Olympics workshops to better understand the range of developmental disabilities, so they can build effective training sessions.
“This is a new chapter for both of us. We’ve never done this before but we're looking forward to seeing how it goes,” Ms Jabeur said. “We're hoping to share so many memories.”
Amazing opportunity
Clari Lehmkuhl, a UAE resident from South Africa, is a world champion who won the women’s singles tennis title at the Bauhaus Down syndrome World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria this year.
“It feels pretty amazing,” she said of the opportunity to practise with Ms Jabeur at Wednesday’s session. “I have been playing tennis since I was young, I played with my grandfather. I feel really proud, I’m grateful to be here.”
Emirati athlete Marwan Al Khaja said he liked “winning”. His mother, Aliya, said being part of unified teams with players without disabilities had made her son stronger when competing in boxing and athletics at the Special Olympics.
“At first I was scared to put him in normal sports and then I saw it was good because they both learn from each other,” she said.
Special Olympics UAE will work with the tennis academy’s coaches so they understand the different skill levels of each athlete and draw up programmes to raise community awareness.
Talal Al Hashemi, national director of Special Olympics UAE, said he was proud to have Ms Jabeur supporting the efforts. “She serves as an inspiration to athletes and plays an important role in raising community awareness of the abilities of people of determination and the importance of including them in sporting activities,” he said.
He said drawing up joint initiatives that took into account the needs of athletes with intellectual disabilities would open up new opportunities.
Amr Badawi, head of sports and training at Special Olympics UAE, described it as a “new era of co-operation in tennis and inclusion” that would support tennis training for the World Games in Chile next year.
“We are aiming to grow the number of the athletes across the UAE,” he said. “Gathering all the groups together, giving more opportunities for our people of determination, give them the chance to be on the front line, play a sport, represent their families, their clubs and their country – this is our aim, our message.”
