Hady Habib hopes to bring joy to Lebanon at Melbourne Park qualifiers
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Hady Habib will certainly be able to count on some crowd support in Melbourne with around 1 per cent of the Australian population having Lebanese heritage.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MELBOURNE – Hady Habib blazed a trail by taking Lebanon to the Olympic tennis tournament for the first time earlier in 2024, and he is hoping that another breakthrough at the Australian Open in January will bring comfort to his war-torn country.
The Texas-born 26-year-old enjoyed a special moment when, as a lucky loser, he went down 6-3, 6-1 to four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros in July.
The experience fired his ambitions to get back to the biggest stages in the tennis world.
And he took a step towards that goal when he won a Challenger title in Temuco, Chile on Dec 1 to clinch a spot in qualifying for the first Major of 2025.
“I just felt so much joy,” he told The National newspaper.
“I was going in there thinking... I’m just going to give my best, play match by match and we’ll see what happens. It makes the story even cooler to say that I clutched it out in the last tournament, it was epic.
“I’d had a couple of hard weeks before that. This was a goal of mine and to be able to achieve it in this last tournament and being the first Lebanese to win a Challenger, just so much joy.”
The world No. 216 is determined to make the most of his hard-earned opportunity and has changed plans to go home to Lebanon for Christmas. He will instead train in South America with his Argentinian coach Patricio Heras, a former player.
Habib moved back to Lebanon with his family at the age of six and is extremely proud to represent his nation, particularly since the war in Gaza spilled over into conflict in the southern part of the country in 2024.
“I’ve been able to bring something positive and show the resilience that I have,” he told the newspaper.
“It means the world to me, honestly. It’s an incredible feeling, for Lebanese tennis, the people, especially what they’ve been going through...
“Everyone who’s living outside of Lebanon will tell you the same thing, that it’s horrific to see what’s happening in a country that we all love so much.”
He will certainly be able to count on some crowd support in Melbourne in January, with around 1 per cent of the Australian population having Lebanese heritage.
“I have family in Australia who will come to watch me,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing.” REUTERS
