The beginning of 2015 started off on a bright note for 10 young Saudi tennis players who lived out their dreams at the 7th Annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC), which was held at the International Tennis Center at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. To enjoy three days of immense excitement and activities, Jeddah-based Sweet Spot Tennis Academy (SSTA) along with Gatorade Saudi Arabia sponsored this opportunity to participate and represent Saudi youth tennis.

When it came to choosing participants to travel to Abu Dhabi, SSTA looked no further than their most dedicated and talented tennis players. Osama Al-Nemery, Omar Al-Nemery, Layan Rajab, Sadeen bin Mahfouz, Maan Al-Yafei, Sophia Arif, Mohammed Alireza, Hisham Alireza, Adam Alireza, and Arish Virani were the motivated participants SSTA invited this year. These lucky ten spent Jan. 1 until Jan. 3 immersed in the thrill of international tennis competitions. On the first day, the Mubadala organizers invited the SSTA participants to play on center court to open the first match, which was between Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez and was followed by a Nicholas Almagro and Stanislas Wawrinka match.

The next day, SSTA students competed against players from an Emirati tennis academy, the PPS Tennis Academy, (which is based at the Zayed Sports City’s tennis center) in matches specially organized for the young players. For the rest of the day, the players were tested in their tennis skills by partaking in the organized activities at the Mubadala Tennis Village with the chances to win prizes for their efforts and talents. The excitement of that day culminated that evening when they were audience to Novak Djokovic defending his title against Stanislas Wawrinka with the knowledge they would meet Wawrinka the next day.

The final day was the cherry on top. The wait was over, and the tennis clinic with the Swiss tennis star, Stanislas “The Man” Wawrinka was upon the SSTA players. They benefited from a Q&A session with Wawrinka as well as an hour of rapid drills, rallies and volleys.

As a whole, the experience enhanced the SSTA students’ confidence and passion for the sport of tennis. Players were able to play in arranged matches with another academy, watch world class tennis matches, meet and learn from an international star and all under the proud supervision of their coaches and families. The Sweet Spot’s first MWTC experience is the embodiment of what the founder of SSTA is dedicated to achieving.

Mariam Polding founded the Sweet Spot Tennis Academy in 2011. Since its establishment, over 400 students have learned to appreciate tennis and to maintain an active lifestyle. With the alarming rates of childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia, one of the highest in the world in fact, Polding is determined to counter the inactive and indoor lifestyle Saudi youth has become accustomed to by instilling the values SSTA promotes. By teaching children competitive interaction and to commit to a healthy and active lifestyle, they can avoid health complications and possibly low confidence as adults. Polding explains that even though tennis is a great workout for the entire body, which builds stamina and muscle definition, it is the perfect “complimentary workout to any other sport and fitness regimen.” She further explains how the Sweet Spot also promotes healthy habits off the court, “Of course, healthy eating plays a big role in obesity, thus at Sweet Spot we always educate our players in nutrition and encourage healthy eating habits.”

On a personal level, Polding holds a great appreciation for sports and a healthy lifestyle. As a child living between London and Palm Beach, Florida, Polding was exposed to the vigorous sports cultures in both cities. Throughout her childhood she played tennis and golf and at her university she competed in volleyball. Her active family developed in her a love for sports from a young age. In her family, a healthy lifestyle and sports are an every day commitment that is the only way to live. Her upbringing and involvement in various sports throughout her childhood has led her to believe in positive outcomes as well as the unity that a sports culture can produce, “I am a big believer in the ability of sports to bring communities together, build confidence in young people and deter unwarranted behavior.” Furthermore, Polding reveals that the heart of her motivation to establish SSTA is the desire to raise her children in “a community that values the importance of sports, not just tennis, but all sports.” She stresses that Sweet Spot’s goal is to infuse the love of sports in to our community and to support young people and their families’ hopes for excellent local sports training, which is equivalent to training abroad. In fact, the Sweet Spot offers instruction in a program from England which teaches children as young as three. It is called Teddy Tennis and “is a fun way to introduce young players to tennis through music, stories, and stickers.”

Currently, the SSTA is made up of seven international coaches, who are dedicated to educating their students in living a healthy lifestyle and the sport of tennis. Students attending may be under instruction of a current professional player from Holland, a former professional player from Spain, a versatile coach from the Philippines, two skilled coaches for the under 10 tennis from Egypt, and finally, two Teddy Tennis instructors from England and the Philippines. When it comes to students, the more advanced performance levels are filled with more boys; however, student enrollment at the SSTA is rather equal between girls and boys. For information for possible enrollment or to check out the academy’s updates, one may follow their activity on Instagram at @sweetspottennisacademy.

In general, Polding sees that there is room for improvement in terms of infrastructure, coaching methodologies and competitive environment in Saudi sports. Despite this, she recognizes the silver lining, “There are many like-minded sports enthusiasts, both individuals and business entities, that have helped SSTA grow and that are integral to any success we may be blessed to achieve.” In the case of the 2015 MWTC, the Sweet Spot is grateful to Gatorade Saudi Arabia for offering their firm support and sponsorship for the trip. According to Polding, “Gatorade is a genuine community leader by supporting sports, health, and wellness initiatives that make a tangible difference in many young peoples’ lives. We need more support from private and government sectors so that we as a community and as a nation can achieve great things.”

When asked if the MWTC will be an annual journey, Polding answers positively. The SSTA plans numerous tennis expeditions during the year to elite tennis academies and international competitions. “These trips are part of the SSTA mission to give our players the opportunity to learn from the best, play with their peers internationally and open up their minds to what they can achieve,” Polding explains.

It is evident that to Polding the Sweet Spot Tennis Academy is a passion project, “It is an honor to work with such a passionate and extraordinary team and for us to be able to share our passion with our community.” As a result of her dedication and the expertise of the coaches she has carefully assembled, hundreds of students in Jeddah have been exposed to the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle and the love of sports. More recently, 10 of these students were lucky enough to play and learn from the world number 4 Stanilas “The Man” Wawrinka, meet and shake hands with iconic and world number 3 player Rafael Nadal, encounter the world No. 1 as well as their idol Novak Djokavic, and finally they were able to welcome Scottish player and world number 6 Andy Murray. Thanks to Gatorade and The Sweet Spot Tennis Academy, this trip of a lifetime was made possible. For 10 young people, their experiences at the MWTC will be forever emblazoned in their memories and an inspiration to motivate them in any athletic training they may encounter or pursue in life.

• [email protected]