2024-07-26 04:47:26
This “exhibition show”, which has become a tradition of the tournament, aims to encourage children to play tennis, with a view to broadening the base of practitioners of this sporting discipline, and to introduce young people to the principles and rules of this sport.
The presence of stars of the discipline, such as the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments, the French Hugo Gaston (89th in the world), the Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh (228th in the world), in addition to former national tennis champions, Hicham Arazi and Younès El Aynaoui, succeeded in attracting a large audience and giving another dimension to the tourist entertainment of the Jemaâ El Fna square.
In a festive and friendly atmosphere, the public enjoyed the exchanges and the racket strokes and the subtle techniques, presented by these talented figures of the little yellow ball.
The match was also an opportunity for the youngsters to exchange a few balls with their favourite stars.
Likewise, this initiative offered the opportunity to promote the Hassan II Tennis Grand Prix to visitors and tourists of the famous Jemaâ El Fna square, which experiences exceptional excitement during the moments preceding the breaking of the fast.
This match is part of the guidelines of the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation (FRMT), which aims to bring this discipline closer to a large section of young people from working-class neighborhoods full of talent eager to practice this sport.
In a statement to MAP, French tennis player Hugo Gaston said he was very happy to take part in this exhibition match alongside the world’s greatest players in the discipline.
While recalling that this is his second participation in this very high-level tournament with players ranked in the world TOP 100, this tennis player expressed his great ambitions for this edition even if he recognized that the tournament will be very competitive.
For his part, the tournament director, Hicham Arazi, expressed his thanks to all the players who participated in this exhibition at the opening of the Hassan II Tennis Grand Prix, noting that the objective of this initiative is to promote both the tournament and this discipline to the public.
He expressed the wish to see this tournament experience a massive turnout of supporters at the Courts of the Royal Tennis Club of Marrakech (RTCMA) to enjoy high-level tennis matches.
For his part, Jordanian player Abdullah Shelbayh expressed his joy at participating in this exhibition match, alongside stars of the discipline, including the two former Moroccan champions Hicham Arazi and Younès El Aynaoui, organized in this historic square in the presence of Moroccan supporters.
He also indicated that he is focusing on the matches he will play during this tournament against renowned players in front of the Moroccan public, expressing his ambition to obtain good results in this international tournament in which he is participating for the first time.
Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and organized by the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation (FRMT), the Grand Prix Hassan II, which has been played since 2016 on the RTCMA courts, is a true gathering of world tennis superstars, offering an unforgettable experience to fans eager to witness the most intense exchanges on clay.
This 38th edition will see the participation of several tennis players ranked in the world TOP 100, including the Serbian Laslo Djere (35th in the world), the Austrian Sebastian Ofner (40th in the world), the British Daniel Evans (43rd in the world), and the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (64th in the world).
It should be remembered that the 37th edition of the Hassan II Tennis Grand Prix was won by the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.
2024-07-26 04:47:26