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Tennis ace Ali Dawani ends the year on a merry note smashing his way to the top spot in Bahrain’s Under 16 boys singles as well as clinching third place in the Asian Tennis Federation Under 14 category.
The British School of Bahrain student had first taken a shine to the game at the age of six, after playing with his cousins.
But what began as a fun pastime soon became his passion. The 13-year-old tennis teen, from Tubli, believes that tons of training and hard work is what helped him achieve glory.
Ali said: “When I first started playing, I never thought it was something I would want to take on professionally. It really was just for fun because I enjoyed the sport. I competed locally first but when I started playing in international tournaments that’s when I thought, I could really go far with this.
“Now I dream of becoming a professional tennis player like Andy Murray.”
Ali, who is a member of the Bahrain Tennis Club (BTC) in Juffair, won his first local tournament at the age of seven under the guidance of coach Abdulrahman Shehab.
His countless victories and admirable sportsmanship captured the attention of the Bahrain National Tennis team and soon enough, at the age of nine, he was swinging with the best of them at the training grounds in Isa Town.
His first foray with the national team was in 2010 in Qatar. A year later, he returned to the neighbouring country to compete in the Under 14 Asian tournament. He lost to Asia’s number one player in the second match and was gutted.
Ali said: “I played against the best player in Asia and was disheartened after I lost. But my dad told me not to worry and that I will be the best in Asia by the end of 2014.”
His father Nabeel, a 50-year-old businessman and member of the BTC, started registering him in various tournaments around the world and funding him to elevate his ranking and help him achieve his goal.
Ali spent one month in a tennis camp in the US and competed in tournaments in Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Bangladesh and Iran. He also took part in tournaments in Kuwait.
Mr Dawani’s prediction turned out to be right. Ali made the top ranking in Asia, securing the number one spot in March after winning three Asian tournaments.
However, Ali’s success was short lived as he could not compete in the last Asian tournament which was staged in Qatar earlier this month due to a lower back injury, causing him to slide down to third place.
Ali is now undergoing physical therapy every day to ensure a speedy recovery in order to play in the International Tennis Federation tournaments against players between the ages of 13 and 18. He is currently ranked number 2,324 but if he keeps at it, then his dreams to play at Wimbledon will soon be within reach.
Ali believes he couldn’t have accomplished his goals without the love and support of his father, his mother, Wajiha, and brother, Hussain, 16, who also plays for the national team.
Mr Dawani said: “Both my sons are into tennis. The two started together and we are really happy they did. My wife and I wanted the boys to have something to do after school to keep them active and out of trouble.
“When we saw how well they were doing in tournaments, we decided to pursue it further. Ali loves the sport and he is hungry to play. I just make sure to schedule his tournaments so that it doesn’t conflict too much with his studies.
“Education is very important to his mother and I. While we are very proud of him, we want to make sure he gets a great education as well.”
Mrs Dawani believes the sport has been great for Ali as he has become more disciplined and mature. She said: “I have noticed that he is a lot more mature than so many other children his age. Also he has made friends with players from around the world.
“He knows how important education is which is why he stays organised to stay on top of things.”
Ali spends two to three times-a-week training with the national team and the other days practicing with his coach in Juffair. He also makes sure to pencil in time for the gym as well as not slack on his studies.
Ali said: “Everyone thinks it’s hard to balance school work and tennis but I find it rather easy. I go to the gym three times-a-week and play tennis six to seven times-a-week.
“My day goes something like this. I come home from school, eat, rest for an hour, play for around two hours and then come back to do my class work.
“The school has been very supportive. I might miss two weeks of classes so the teachers help me catch up by sitting with me after school.”
