A tennis superstar from the UAE? Coming soon.

With the sport’s increasing popularity so too is the interest growing among residents who are hoping to emulate the likes of Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.

“I’ve seen the sport grow tremendously since arriving here ten years ago. There are now junior tournaments around and a variety of academies with proper coaching for all levels,” says Abu Dhabi-based tennis coach and PSS Emirates co-founder, Sigi Meeuws.

“Last year we sent two students, and a 17-year-old girl this year, to the US for a tennis scholarship. So this is a very big achievement for a small tennis country like ours.”

UAE-based tennis players between the ages of 14-years-old and below are currently competing in the Mubadala Community Cup in Dubai, which runs until 12th December.

The winners will get the chance to meet their tennis heroes at the prestigious Mubadala World Tennis Championship on 31st December to 2nd January 2016 at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.

What Sigi would love to see though is for students to stay put and more advanced tournaments organised all year round to strengthen the skills of budding players.

“We have some brilliant juniors but this is an expat country so families move in and out. I assume that our tennis scene will achieve a very high level if all the players I’ve seen in the past stayed – that and a high level of tournament for juniors
will be good for the future of UAE tennis.”