Kuwait has marked a historic moment for its women’s tennis, as the Kuwait Tennis Federation entered a women’s team in an official ITF team competition for the first time. The Kuwait team competed in the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors pre-qualifying event for the Asia/Oceania region. Although their goal was to advance to the next round of this competition, their mere presence is already a significant step for the development of women’s tennis in the country.
A SYMBOLIC DEBUT FOR WOMEN’S TENNIS
Kuwait’s participation in Kuching has a special symbolism, as it represents a major breakthrough in women’s representation in the sport. This debut is an example of progress in the sporting arena and a boost for the development of women’s tennis in the region.
Looking ahead, the Kuwait Tennis Federation hopes to enter teams in other ITF competitions, such as the ITF World Junior Tennis, the international team event for under-14s, and the Billie Jean King Cup in the senior category.
THE PIONEERS OF WOMEN’S TENNIS IN KUWAIT
For now, sisters Huda and Samou Aldabbous, along with Nourah Alghanem and their captain Rudolf Rossouw, are the pioneers paving the way for a new era of tennis in Kuwait.
“The Kuwait Tennis Federation is very proud to present a women’s national team to participate in the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors for the first time in the history of Kuwaiti tennis. It is a dream come true,” said Abdul Ridha Al-Ghareeb, president of the Kuwait Tennis Federation.
BOOSTING WOMEN’S TENNIS IN KUWAIT
Al-Ghareeb stressed that this achievement is the result of years of training with some of the best coaches at the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait. He also stressed that this initiative is part of the federation’s policy to encourage more girls and women to participate in tennis, with the ambition of having them compete in different ITF World Tennis Tour events.
For her part, Kelly Fairweather, CEO of the ITF, said, “It is a significant moment when a nation enters a competition for the first time. Kuwait’s female players will benefit greatly from competing in the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors.”
A STEP TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY IN TENNIS
Fairweather also highlighted the ITF’s commitment to the long-term growth of tennis and the importance of initiatives such as ‘ITF Advantage All’, which since 2018 has worked to achieve gender balance in the sport.
Kerstin Lutz, CEO of Billie Jean King Cup Limited, added that it is “wonderful to see the steps the Kuwait Tennis Federation is taking to improve accessibility to tennis in the country. Providing girls with the opportunity to play the sport they love and supporting their development is what the Billie Jean King Cup is all about.”
