After she managed to defeat her Israeli competitor during the Nairobi International Tennis Championships, tennis player Yara Al-Haqbani occupied the Saudis on the social networking sites.
But the Saudi young woman revealed that her victory over Renny Nikishov was not the first against Israeli players, stressing that she rejects the idea of withdrawing in front of any player, regardless of her nationality, despite the existence of differences with the state of that sport.
She also added that when an athlete participates in international tournaments, he does everything in his power to be a decent representation of his country, saying that “this happens when he faces a player from a country with which we do not have diplomatic relations.”
“I will not quit”
She said that “the word withdrawal is not popular with the athlete in general, because it carries some meanings of fear and dread of confrontation.” “Therefore, I decided not to withdraw from facing any player,” she added.
As for her beginnings in tennis, she said, “It is a family sport, and from the age of three, she spends time with her father and brothers on tennis courts.”
She also added that “the journey of love for this sport began at the age of five, when she joined the “Skyline” club next to her home in Virginia… From there she began her career with tennis.”
She explained that “when Areej Al-Mutabaqani presided over the presidency of the Tennis Federation, I promised her good,” stressing that she is now finding great support from her father and all the individuals who stand next to her, and they are the reason behind her continuation in this sport.
She also added that her father’s work as a diplomat in America gave her the opportunity to participate in the USA Tennis Federation, the first tournament she participated in when she was 8 years old.
25 championships
As for her achievements, Al-Haqbani pointed out that she had achieved more than 25 championships, and the Islamic Solidarity Championship in Baku was her first participation with the national team, in which she reached the final of the eight despite her young age at the time, when she was 13 years old, and was directed by an older Belarusian player, as Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate By virtue of the neighborhood.
She also added that she was able to register her name at the international level as the second Saudi female athlete after the jockey Dalma Mahlas and won an international medal. And she continued, “Tennis is one of the most beautiful sports and comes in second place after football in terms of media follow-up, financial prizes and the value of players.”
‘big sacrifices’
She stressed that “the sport of tennis requires great sacrifices by the family, as well as money, time and effort, and the center of the universe must be with the player, especially since achieving results is very difficult and requires patience and effort, and regular exercises.”
In parallel, she indicated that the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the United States, Princess Rima bint Bandar Al Saud, supported her in moving words, after she fell ill due to Corona.
It is noteworthy that Yara was able to defeat her Israeli opponent, by two straight sets, in the eighth round of the Nairobi International Tennis Championships, by two sets, 6-0 and (6-2).