Tennis 360 has been arranging mixed doubles tournaments for a while, but organisers of the first standalone tournament of its type say it proves there is a market for it in the UAE.
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Gwen Sproule says the one-day, round-robin format Tennis 360 Mixed Doubles Tournament is the perfect way to socialise as well as improve your game.
The event will be played at the Meydan Tennis Academy in Dubai on Friday, May 22, where players can pair up with a friend or turn up and try their luck with a ‘blind date’ partner.
“Dubai is sorely lacking in doubles tournaments but there is a thriving inter-ladies club tournament being played at Tennis 360, Clark Francis, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Madinat, so the tournament is borne out of that,” said Sproule.
“We’d like to create an environment where people can meet through the tournament and, through that, they can make new friends and perhaps even organise games together outside of the tournament.”
The idea behind the tournament has a social aspect to it but, at a time when the weather in the UAE is heating up, Sproule believes a partner to help you take the strain is another good reason for getting involved, also adding that playing doubles enhances your own skills.
“Playing doubles is a great way to improve your overall game, it’s very strategic and thoughtful,” she said.
“It increases your awareness of tactics, you’re more mindful of crafting every point.”
Sproule believes the doubles tournament will make a lot of racket and is already planning for the future.
She said: “We have organised lots of mixed doubles tennis tournaments before, so it proves there is a market for it, but this will be the first standalone Tennis 360 Mixed Doubles Tournament.
Great to meet with Gwen Sproule today of @tennis360 @MeydanHotel . Great Tennis facility in Dubai http://t.co/XPJKzUyy9X
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“We hope it will grow and become much more than an annual event. Hopefully, we’ll hold a few tournaments a year and perhaps we might even be able to attract a title sponsor.”
As partners work together in the hope of making it game, set, match in terms of winning the tournament, Sproule is also playing matchmaker.
A future event will be played on around Valentine’s Day in the hope a tournament partnership may lead to something more romantic off the court.
“For people who don’t have a tennis partner we’re thinking the tournament could be a sporting type of blind date, although long life compatibility is not guaranteed,” quips Sproule.
“There are definitely people who want to play tennis in Dubai but they might not have someone else they know who wants to play, and we are targeting a Valentine’s Day date to play a tournament in 2016.”
The tournament starts at 15:00 and will finish around 21:00 and costs just Dh100 to enter. The entry deadline is Sunday, May 17, and registration forms can be downloaded from the Tennis 360 Facebook page.
What: Tennis 360 Mixed Doubles Tournament
When: Friday, May 22
Where: Tennis 360 Meydan Tennis Academy, Dubai
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