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Tennis Ace Owen Verbeek is set to make his mark in the sport by competing in an international tournament in Germany next month.
The young British-Dutch national, who first picked up a racket at the age of four, has been training hard at his Al Jasra home and at the Dilmun Club with Bahrain Tennis Academy (BTA) coach and director Dan Barrie and coach Renato Amaral in preparation for the Base 11 & under Stars of Tomorrow.
The competition, which will be held at the Base Tennis Academy in Höhr-Grenzhausen from August 27 to 30, was created for talented boys and girls from around the world born between 2004 and 2005 … and Owen will be competing alongside 180 of them from 44 countries.
The 10-year-old St Christopher’s School student, who comes from a big family of tennis fanatics, is confident and ready for the challenge. Owen, one of seven siblings, said: “I’m very excited about the competition as this will be my first time playing in such a big international event.
“To date, I have only competed in Bahrain and Dubai, winning the Bahrain Tennis Academy tournaments a number of times but never something of this magnitude. Nonetheless, I have a lot of support from my family and my coaches and I’m ready for whatever comes my way.”
This is the third tournament in the Junior Tour & Masters Series. The Dutch Bowl International in the Netherlands, the first in the series, attracted the best young players from 23 different countries and has become recognised as the strongest tournament in the world for players in the age category.
The Mouratoglou 11& under Tennis Hopes, held at world-renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s Academy in France, was the second in the series and it featured 160 players from 36 countries.
The international tournament series is organised by Goran Novakovic of Ten-Pro who is the parent of a skilled 10-year-old. He originally started it all to fill a void of international tournaments for players of this age.
Based on the Ten-Pro System, the German competition will guarantee that every participant gets to play a minimum of four matches. All matches will be played over two sets and tie breaks whenever the score reaches 6-6 and there are top prizes on offer, including free training camps and entry into leading competitions.
Aside from the competition, the youngsters will have a chance to learn from each other and off court seminars will be staged for parents and coaches regarding tennis talent development and mental training.
Coach Barrie believes the tournament will prove extremely beneficial for the youngster. He said: “Owen is one of the strongest players for his age in Bahrain but we don’t expect him to achieve a top place in this tournament at this time. It is more of a developmental step for him as there is so much to learn from taking part.
“They will play the best of three set matches, which players of that age typically don’t, especially in Bahrain where court space is limited, so fitness and concentration requirements will be greater. They will play on clay courts, which don’t exist in Bahrain and he has perhaps only played on once or twice while on vacation.
“This slower surface requires more patience and tactical creativity. He will be playing against the very top players from other countries around the world which will be a level of competition he hasn’t experienced before. The quality and variety of players he will play against will give him new insights into where his level is at internationally and how he needs to develop his own game.”
With that said, Barrie also believes that Owen has a lot of potential as this season he won the 10 & under event in the BTA Junior Tennis Tournament in March and then won both the 10 & under and 12 & under events in the Citi Bahrain BTA Junior Tennis Tournament.
Owen also notched seven awards at the club’s end-of-season ceremony including the 10 & under Player of the Year and became the first player in the 12-year history of the awards to be nominated in every category.
He said: “Owen has actually played very few tournaments compared to other players of his age. This is one of the secrets of his success as we have concentrated on his technical development rather than focusing on tournament results which is a big mistake that a lot of parents and coaches make at this early stage of their development.
“He has the potential to go far because of the great foundation he has and his great attitude, which I believe are both of utmost importance. In the long-run, I believe these factors can make up for any disadvantages he currently faces by not being in a more competitive environment, like the kids in Europe, for example.
“We are very proud of what he has achieved so far, but more importantly how his game is developing, as at this stage there is still a long way to go before reaching his potential.
“The fact that a player from Bahrain, who has grown up and trained here exclusively, will be included in this elite group of players is quite impressive.”
Owen trains privately three-times-a-week with Barrie and Amaral and has recently started playing with his dad occasionally and training with a ball machine in the morning before school.
Coach Barrie added: “What’s more impressive, is the fact that all his training has been privately done with BTA since he is not a citizen of Bahrain and therefore can’t compete for the national team.
“This means his competition is limited and he does not receive free training like he would if he was part of a national academy in his home country. Also, his mum and dad are very laid back about his tennis which is rare and brilliant.
“So it is a credit to his parents for giving him this opportunity to excel and a credit to him for maintaining his focus despite the limited training partners and competitors in Bahrain.”
Owen’s love for the game actually stems from his dad Mark Jenkins, 50, chief executive officer of Shoaibi Group, and his mum, company director Cathelijne Verbeek, 43, who both enjoy playing tennis.
In his younger days, Jenkins Snr played for the Dorset County Juniors team in tournaments in the South of England and also played with Barrie in 2006 for the Dilmun Club team in league competitions in Bahrain.
Owen will be travelling with family support including dad, his grandparents, his sister Harriet, 22, auntie Coozanne and cousin, Babette. They will all be coming to support him during his German adventure.
Jenkins Snr said: “The ball is in Owen’s court. If he wants it he has to go get it, as with most things in life, to be successful it takes hard work and sacrifice. We won’t be pushing but we will provide the support. We are clearly proud of Owen and very happy for him to have this opportunity. Hopefully we can retire early and get to travel … his mum has already started thinking about outfits to wear at Wimbledon!”
