DUBAI // Boris Becker believes the UAE could soon become a haven for the world's top tennis players, in the same way it already is for golfers. The European Ryder Cup player Henrik Stenson is the leading light among a raft of golfers who are based permanently in Dubai. Thomas Bjorn, another former Ryder Cup player, is a long term resident, while Rory McIlroy, 19, recently mapped out a plan to make Dubai his base after buying a villa in the Jumeirah. Indeed, the European Tour itself will soon be based in the emirate, following on from the launch of the Race to Dubai earlier this week.
Now Becker predicts the same thing could happen with tennis. Roger Federer, the World No 2 and arguably the most recognisable player in the game today, spends the majority of his off-season time at his home in Dubai. Becker feels young tennis players would be wise to follow the Swiss master's lead. The legendary German plans to tap into the potential boom, after announcing plans for his Boris Becker Beach Resort and Tennis Academy in Ras Al Khaimah yesterday.
He said: "Federer lives here and therefore plays a lot of tennis here. I think that is an example for tennis players in the future, to use Dubai as a place to practice and spend their winter. "Athletes in general could follow that path. Golf has shown the way, and Federer is already living here. It is just a question of time, and I'm sure this area will be used in a broader way by a lot of athletes.
"It [Becker's Academy] will not just be open for professional players, but recreational players as well. The location is ideal. "Coming from Europe to this region between now and early summer, it is the perfect place to get away and have some fun with a tennis racket. "From a professional point of view, there are a lot of tournaments happening not too far away, around the time of the Australian Open at the start of the year.
"They need facilities during the winter and, instead of flying all the way to Florida for the winter, they can come here. "Not only because there is a major tournament in Dubai, but there are also events in Doha, and tennis in the region is becoming more and more popular. "Tennis is extremely popular in the region and there is no reason to expect it not to grow and grow in the coming years." The project is to be built on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, and will be a 20-hectare development with 10,000 apartments and 299 hotel rooms.
Becker is also planning an exhibition match with the UAE's No 1 player, Omar Behroozian, in the coming weeks. Proceeds from that event will go to the Dubai Autism Centre, but Becker gives his assurance that will not be the end of his involvement with UAE tennis. "I don't just have my name on [the Resort and Tennis Academy] - I am a co-investor, which shows how I feel about it," added the six-time grand slam title winner.
"I have been a part of the project from the very beginning and it would be amazing if a player from the region, who came to our Academy, became a professional. That would be a dream." @Email:pradley@thenational.ae More coverage, page b4