Racket sports are very popular in Qatar, starting with tennis that draws to Doha the top players like Tunisian champion Ons Jabeur. The popularity of Padel is also on the rise with a growing number of dedicated infrastructure.
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00:00 (BIRDS CHIRPING)
00:02 I think this experience is amazing.
00:04 We have lots of cool championships,
00:06 but I think playing in Doha,
00:07 obviously, is the best one of the year.
00:09 I'm impressed, honestly, here in Qatar,
00:12 how serious the people, you know, take padel.
00:15 Everyone is supporting the sport here
00:17 in order to grow in a very good way.
00:20 It's an honour for me to be part of the history, you know.
00:23 I try to always send that message that nothing is impossible.
00:26 (MUSIC)
00:30 Hello, welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Abdelhalim.
00:34 On this episode, we take a swing at some racket sports.
00:38 From tennis to padel, we've got you covered.
00:41 Top-tier tennis was in full swing again at the Qatar Open,
00:44 and that's where I got a chance to sit down
00:46 with Tunisian star, Ange Jabbour.
00:48 But first, padel is all anyone is talking about nowadays,
00:52 which makes it unsurprisingly one of the world's
00:53 fastest-growing sports.
00:55 Here in Qatar, padel's popularity is showing
00:57 no signs of slowing down.
00:59 And as Laila Humaira found out,
01:01 the country is scoring major deals
01:03 to host international tournaments.
01:05 (MUSIC)
01:08 Mohammad Al-Hanji is one of Qatar's top padel athletes.
01:12 While tennis was his first love,
01:14 he made the switch to padel five years ago
01:17 and hasn't looked back since.
01:19 I've played tennis for 20 years,
01:21 and padel came up recently,
01:27 and I started playing it.
01:29 I'm practising morning and afternoon,
01:32 doing physical practice as well.
01:36 Taking this very serious, my ambition is high.
01:39 Of course, I want to represent my country
01:41 in the best way that I can.
01:43 And where better for Mohammad to fly Qatar's flag
01:46 than by competing at the Ubudu Qatar Major
01:49 for the third consecutive time,
01:51 facing the best padel athletes in the world.
01:54 (MUSIC)
01:57 These players that we are competing with,
01:59 they are playing padel for all their life.
02:02 We are, like, compared to them, new to the sport,
02:05 so we are learning a lot, having a great experience.
02:09 So I'm very happy that I can see my improvement
02:12 and the performance each year better and better.
02:16 In the women's draw,
02:18 the competition pool is also improving every year,
02:21 as seen through the eyes of the world number six,
02:24 Spain's Marta Ortega,
02:26 who started playing padel at six years old.
02:29 This is a very important tournament for the year.
02:31 You know, at the beginning of the season,
02:33 maybe you are, like, more fresh.
02:35 So I think we have, like, pressure to do it right.
02:39 So it's really important for us to do a nice result here.
02:42 It gives you lots of points
02:43 and obviously lots of confidence for the rest of the year.
02:47 The Ubudu Qatar tournament
02:48 is the first major stop in Premier Padel's 2024 season
02:52 under a new, unified global professional ecosystem.
02:56 25 tournaments spanning 18 countries and five continents
03:00 will culminate with the finals in Barcelona.
03:03 It's a big year for padel in Qatar,
03:05 as the country is also set to host
03:07 the World Championships come November,
03:09 much to the delight of the sport's growing fan base.
03:15 Padel now, it's one of the important sports.
03:20 And everyone here in Doha, they love to play padel,
03:24 different categories, kids, women,
03:27 all of the community here in Qatar, they love padel.
03:30 And we're trying, you know, to do our best,
03:33 you know, to promote this game.
03:35 That's also what Premier Padel hopes
03:39 this fresh competition format will do,
03:42 get the sport exposed to a bigger audience
03:45 and score more deals to take padel to greater heights.
03:48 I think the most important today
03:51 is creating this big structure around the players
03:55 and go slowly but surely
03:58 and expand to more markets like in Asia, the USA,
04:03 and in Africa,
04:05 then we should be having more tournaments coming.
04:07 And we look forward to continuing doing this job
04:10 and make it better and better.
04:13 Here in Qatar, the craze over padel is being fuelled
04:16 by more new facilities to cater to the growing demand.
04:21 Whether it's for competitive play or for fun,
04:24 Qatar Foundation recently opened two new padel courts
04:28 in Education City.
04:30 You can choose to play outdoors
04:32 within the grounds of Education City Golf Club
04:35 or indoors at the Dome,
04:37 both of which have been decked out by Adidas.
04:41 The Dome is very dear to me
04:43 and it's because it has great five padel courts
04:48 and it's an indoor venue.
04:51 Not only that, but because it dedicates a few hours
04:54 for ladies only.
04:56 This place is fully accessible by everyone.
05:00 These new facilities not only provide the public
05:04 with high-quality courts,
05:06 world-class coaching is also available
05:08 for those who want professional guidance.
05:11 It's so important to give good quality,
05:14 to make the people feel at home,
05:15 to make the people feel comfortable
05:17 when they come and play.
05:18 And this is what we are trying to do.
05:20 People are really enjoying the sport,
05:25 they are pushing themselves a lot
05:26 when it comes to competition.
05:28 They really want to improve it
05:29 and they are taking it very, very seriously.
05:31 And while padel is already giving legacy record sports
05:36 like tennis a run for its money,
05:38 there's still a bit more of catching up to do.
05:41 Of course, padel still has a long road ahead
05:45 to be compared to the industry of tennis.
05:48 But I think the industry of padel
05:51 is taking the right decision.
05:52 Premier Padel is one of the examples
05:55 and I think with time we will see that tennis and padel
05:58 start to get closer to each other.
06:00 But if padel's meteoric rise in Qatar
06:06 is any indication for the growth the sport is expected to see,
06:10 the industry is headed for an all-round,
06:12 smashing good time.
06:14 I'm impressed, honestly, here in Qatar,
06:17 how serious the people take padel.
06:20 Everyone is supporting the sport here
06:22 in order to grow in a very good way.
06:24 Anja Boer is hoping to continue to play her way
06:33 into the record books in 2024.
06:35 The 29-year-old Tunisian already made history
06:38 as the first Arab and African woman
06:40 to reach a Grand Slam final.
06:42 Now she's hoping to win one.
06:44 I recently caught up with the sixth-ranked woman in the world
06:46 ahead of this year's Qatar Total Energy Open.
07:05 Anja, you're an inspiration to women and men in this region.
07:08 What does it mean to be the first Arab
07:10 to make a Grand Slam final?
07:11 It's an honour for me to be part of the history.
07:15 I try to always send that message that nothing is impossible.
07:18 So for me, I really try to act very well on and off the court
07:23 and just trying to open more doors for different people.
07:27 You've been on the court for a while,
07:29 I think starting from the age of three.
07:30 Your mum took you to the tennis clubs.
07:32 What made you fall in love with tennis?
07:34 I'm always a very active kid, you know,
07:36 so the fact that I was running behind the ball
07:39 and just chasing it was very, very nice.
07:42 My mum was very supportive,
07:43 so I think the connection of mother-daughter really helped me.
07:47 And for me, I just fell completely in love with the sport.
07:51 And you're not done dreaming yet.
07:52 What would it mean to win your first-ever Grand Slam title?
07:55 It would mean a lot to me.
07:57 It's a childhood dream for me, for my family,
08:02 and I feel now it's for a whole continent, you know,
08:05 so definitely it would mean a lot and definitely will help me a lot.
08:09 That's a lot of pressure.
08:11 This is a competitive sport,
08:12 but you're known as the Minister of Happiness.
08:14 How do you keep that smile?
08:15 I feel like smiling always could give great energy
08:20 and I'm always looking for a positive energy.
08:22 So for me, if I can change somebody's day, that's amazing.
08:27 So I'll always keep smiling
08:29 and hopefully good things will come my way.
08:31 Now, you're one of the most outspoken players on the tour.
08:35 You've obviously been affected by what happened in Gaza.
08:38 How do you compartmentalise something like that
08:40 when you're playing, but then it's still obviously,
08:42 I'm sure, in the back of your mind?
08:43 You know, it's very tough to kind of live in this situation
08:47 and it breaks my heart.
08:49 I've been living with this war since I was a kid, you know,
08:55 and now, since I can use my platform to speak out about this,
09:00 I try to do my best and, of course,
09:02 try to do my best on the tennis court.
09:04 Maybe I can change a little bit,
09:06 I can help a little bit if I can.
09:08 I'm Onze Jabber and I'm proud to be part
09:10 of the World Food Programme family.
09:12 You were recently named the World Food Programme's
09:14 Global Goodwill Ambassador.
09:15 And as an athlete, you know a lot about nutrition.
09:18 How will you use your voice to end world hunger?
09:20 I think the least thing we can do for people around the world
09:24 is just to give them a decent meal, you know,
09:26 and I think it is very important to have good nutrition
09:31 for young kids to focus on in schools and everything.
09:36 If they're on an empty stomach, it is very, very difficult.
09:39 So I think the least thing we could try to do is improve that.
09:42 And, of course, I was very happy with the World Food Programme
09:47 nominating me as the Global Ambassador
09:49 and I'm looking forward to do much more things with them.
09:53 Now, you're not only a fan favourite,
09:54 but the players obviously respect you.
09:56 Serena chose you as one of her last doubles partners.
09:58 What does that mean when you get the recognition
10:01 of your peers as well?
10:02 It's very important.
10:03 I think I give them respect, they give me respect back.
10:07 And to play with such a legend like Serena,
10:09 it's really unbelievable.
10:10 And definitely I will never forget about the doubles.
10:14 Hopefully, you know, I can maybe one day play
10:19 with the younger people with me to show them also the way.
10:24 It's nice to have that respect between different players.
10:28 Now, we were hoping to see you last year at the Qatar Open,
10:30 but your knee injury...
10:32 What does this tournament mean for you?
10:33 It means a lot.
10:34 I was very sad to miss it last year,
10:37 but I'm back and I'm very happy to be back.
10:40 It was the most difficult, you know,
10:44 kind of a swing to miss, but I'm glad to be back now.
10:47 And what's your thoughts on how this year
10:49 is going to play out for Ange Barre?
10:51 I'll try my best, you know, just one match at a time.
10:54 Hopefully, we'll be ready to win some matches
10:57 and definitely waiting for the crowd to help me.
10:59 Last question, what will be your message to young women and girls
11:05 about, you know, the possibilities for them?
11:08 The first thing I want to do is hear them out
11:10 and hear the young girls, young boys,
11:12 to talk about whatever their dreams
11:15 and definitely hear their questions.
11:17 And I'll definitely encourage them
11:18 to always believe in their dreams,
11:21 to be disciplined, to work hard,
11:23 but work smart, you know, to achieve their dreams.
11:25 But I'm very curious to know how they are thinking
11:28 and from there, I think it's easier to guide them.
11:31 Talk about an action-packed episode.
11:38 From paddles rising popularity in this country
11:41 to meeting a tennis superstar
11:42 inspiring young people across this region,
11:45 we hope you enjoyed this episode.
11:47 But that's all the time we have for now.
11:49 For more, check out euronews.com
11:51 and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:52 Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
11:56 (upbeat music)