Eight talented young tennis players have been given the opportunity of a lifetime after being selected to play on centre court during the Capitala World Tennis Championship, to be held at Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex, Zayed Sports City from 31st December – 2nd January.
The youngsters will have the unique opportunity to showcase their talents in front of an expected sold out audience of 5,000 fans during the event after earning their way through to the mini-tennis play off of the Capitala Tennis in Schools programme.
The rising young stars were selected following a skills day at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City.
The Capitala Tennis in Schools programme, a community initiative managed by IMG and presented by Flash Entertainment and Capitala, has proved a tremendous success with over 500 youngsters from 22 schools across Abu Dhabi and Dubai involved in the first-time initiative.
John Lickrish, Managing Director of event organisers Flash Entertainment, said:
“The Capitala in Schools programme has been hugely popular and has helped to take the game of tennis to our youngsters who have loved the opportunity to learn more and practice their skills.”
“Our vision for the Capitala World Tennis Championship is to take the game beyond the tournament and we have been very pleased with the initial response to this important initiative which has boosted the awareness of tennis at a grass roots level.”
The programme started in September and saw local tennis coaches visiting hundreds of children in schools giving player tips, offering advice on healthy living and distributing free Wilson mini-tennis kits including rackets, balls and mini-tennis nets. Following the initial coach visits to the schools, two children per school were selected to take part in skills days throughout October.
Heang Fine Wong, Chief Executive Officer Capitala, the title sponsor of the event, said:
“This initiative has been hugely successful with children in Abu Dhabi and across other Emirates. The kids have learned a great deal about tennis, and we are very proud to be playing an important role in taking the game to our youngsters and developing their passion as we have progressed with this programme. Part of our objective when we launched the Capitala World Tennis Championship last year was to leave a legacy in the community and we are continuing to build that this year with the success of CTIS.”
Tony Barlow, a former UAE National tennis coach involved in the programme, said:
“The Capitala Tennis in Schools Programme has been a wonderful success that has seen hundreds of school children benefit right across the country. It’s been great to see the kids really getting involved in the game of tennis and part of the focus of this programme has been to help educate children on the importance of a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a good diet. This initiative has gone a long way to achieving that objective and the children have also shown great potential on the court.”
Boris Kovacevic, one of the youngsters who was chosen to advance through, added:
“It’s awesome to get through and to have a chance to play alongside my heroes.”
Other finalists who will join Boris at the event are Natasha Barkman, Sydney De Lima, Saif Yousif Obaidli, Axel Joero, Jamie Raisbeck, Matias Cattani and Benjamen Burridge.
The Capitala Tennis in Schools Programme was created to provide children with the facilities to play tennis in their own schools rather than at exclusive clubs, taking tennis to many children who would not otherwise have the chance to play. It is just one of the community outreach initiatives that forms part of this year’s Capitala World Tennis Championship.
The Capitala World Tennis Championship, launched in 2008 by Flash and Capitala, is a three-day tournament featuring six of the world’s top ten male tennis players. The tournament will be held from 31 December 2009 – 2 January 2010 at Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City. Now in its second year, the event aims to raise awareness of the benefits of tennis and the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle, whilst also leaving a legacy for the community beyond the tournament.
