Down the line: The tennis ‘pros’ at the other end of the Davis Cup

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  • I spent the last week at the Aviation Club watching 19 teams from across Asia and the South Pacific battle for survival or promotion in their respective Davis Cup groups and I must admit it was an eye-opening experience.

    We’re used to watching superstars like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic under the floodlights at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, but this was the first time for me to sit courtside at the Aviation Club and follow almost 25 matches a day for a week where the highest-ranked player is probably in the 1000s.

    And believe me when I tell you it was quite captivating. While Rafael Nadal was helping Spain retain their World Group status, countries like the UAE and Oman were fighting to stay in Group III.

    The top groups in Davis Cup may be about blockbuster names but in Groups III and IV, many players are investment bankers, lawyers, or students. They all had to be excused from their day jobs for a week to try and help their countries stay relevant in Davis Cup – a competition that allows them to feel like pros even if it was just for a week.

    There were many interesting characters I met throughout the week.

    Tahitian Gilles de Gouy, who represents Pacific Oceania, is a 42-year-old who was reveling in the fact that he got his first-ever Davis Cup nomination at this age.

    Phillip King, the brother of American two-time doubles Grand Slam champion Vania King, is an investment banker in Hong Kong. Had the tournament been held in its original date last April, he wouldn’t have been able to represent Hong Kong since he only became eligible in June.

    Oman’s Al Nabhani family are the counterparts of the UAE’s Janahis. The brothers Mohammed and Khalid Al Nabhani featured in most of Oman’s matches – their sister Fatma (ranked 454 in the WTA rankings) was in the stands daily – and provided an intense GCC derby against the UAE. Khalid is a marketing PHD student in Scotland.

    The UAE team suffered from fitness issues but they showed they had heart and ultimately managed to stay in Group III.

    While the stands were not full, the few people who did show up got to witness something rare in Dubai. They got to see players wearing their hearts on their sleeves, fighting age, poor fitness, humidity, or lack of regular play to represent their country in the best way possible. They got to realise that tennis is not just about the stars and that you can enjoy any match as long as the people on the court were giving their best and had something to fight for.

    Top players may be critical of the Davis Cup set up, but after seeing all walks of life come together under one roof in Dubai, where they were given a chance to compete in the sport they are very passionate about but can’t commit to all year round, I must say I am seeing this competition in a new light.

    READ MORE:

    The future for UAE tennis on – and off – the court

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