By Alaric Gomes, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Seven of the most promising junior girls from the UAE had a dream day at the Tennis Emirates Kids' Day held alongside the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open yesterday.
The seven girls - Fatma Abbas Al Janahi, Emily Leenen, Grace Talih, Kim Saadi, Kate Saadi, Prerna Aswani and Natalya Al Omary - were joined on court for some interaction with three of the players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, sisters Shikha and Neha Uberoi and Tunisian Selima Sfar.
The professional players mixed around freely with the UAE juniors, encouraging them and showing them the right way of executing a shot.
"This is unique for us as it is our endeavour to encourage more and more girls playing tennis in the UAE," stated Mohammad Al Merri, General Secretary of Tennis Emirates.
"These professional players are in a position to guide our juniors, and I am sure our players will remember this meeting for a long, long time," he added.
Staying focused
The professionals also doled out free advice to the UAE juniors. "Stay focused on what you want to do, and just go after your dreams," Sfar told the young girls.
"Hard work is the key. And the more hard work you put in, the more will be the rewards. But you will need to have a lot of patience till the results start flowing in," Neha Uberoi told the kids.
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