tennis plan

Rafa -ATF - Arij

RIYADH: Newly appointed Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) ambassador Spanish superstar Rafa Nadal, is set to bring his unique brand of inspiration to the Saudi tennis scene.The new role is announced following a recent surprise visit to a junior tennis clinic in Riyadh hosted by the STF.

Beyond encouraging the growth of the sport overall, plans are also being put in place to develop a new Rafa Nadal Academy to nurture talent and serve as a center of excellence to help aspiring players fulfill their tennis dreams.

Under Vision 2030, sports participation across men and women in Saudi Arabia has rapidly increased and is now close to 50 percent, more than tripling since 2015. The number of sporting federations have also tripled during this time with the STA a perfect example of the growth story underway.

Nadal, is set to support tennis in one of the fastest growing countries in the world, with sport becoming an increasingly important part of daily life, especially for the Kingdom’s 20 million people aged under 30 years old. 

In 2023 an estimated 30,000 school children took their first steps in tennis thanks to the ‘Tennis For All’ program, a unique partnership between the STF and Saudi Sports For All Federation, which saw tennis introduced to the physical education curriculum in 90 schools. Future plans are already in place to roll the program out in 200 schools in 2024 and 400 in 2025.

Today Saudi Arabia is home to 177 tennis clubs, up 146 percent since 2019. In the last four years, the number of registered players has increased by 46 percent to 2,300 and under-14 players by 100 percent — from 500 to +1,000. STF also now holds 40 national tournaments annually — including hosting three ITF Juniors tournaments in the past year.

Saudi Tennis Federation President, Arij Almutabagani, added: “Rafa embodies all the values we hold dear in a true champion on and off the court. He’s simply the ideal role model for our young boys and girls to look up to.”

“Rafa transcends the sport of tennis and continues to inspire generations around the world. I’ve no doubt he will have the same impact on Saudi. We feel blessed to call him our ambassador and our young players can’t wait to work with him!”

Nadal and his coaching team are also set to develop a program of values to inspire ‘Team Saudi’, the national teams who represent the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committees in international tournaments and will share their knowledge with all players and their coaches.

Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation, the country has become a welcoming host for some of the biggest global sports events. Since 2018 the Kingdom has staged over 85 international events for both male and female athletes including football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian, esports and golf, attended by over 2.6 million sports fans.

The latest addition, the Next Gen ATP Finals signals the country’s intent to make tennis a major part of its international calendar and is the first of many likely professional tennis tournaments to be held in the country, with Nadal now committed to supporting future events in an ambassadorial role.

Almutabagani, continued: “Yes, we want to host the world’s best to inspire and help our young people fall in love with the game. But looking ahead one day we also want to play alongside and compete against the world’s best male and female players. We know it’s a long journey ahead but we’re investing in our children and committed for the long-term. And hopefully with Rafa’s support we’ll go along that journey a little bit faster and as a fit and healthy nation.”

GL:

blij voor Arij de voorzitter van de federatie die heel erg hard trekt aan de kar. De groei in het aantal clubs en de plannen die ze heeft met de ontwikkeling van talent zijn prima. Blij haar te kunnen steunen met het vrouwen programma oa.. veel kritiek op Nadal lees ik op de socials. 

 

Arij at Asian Games