Doha went crazy for Rafa Nadal’s exceptional student

Rafa Nadal’s last-minute withdrawal was a major blow for the Doha tournament. The Qatari tournament was expected to be the scene of the return of the champion of 22 Grand Slam titles after this season’s debut in Brisbane, but due to some discomfort before the trip, the Spaniard gave up, focusing on his efforts to get to the best possible. conditions at the Masters 1000 Indian Wells.

However, part of the former world number 1 left his mark on the capital of Qatar. We are talking Abdullah Shelbayh, the young Jordanian player who has been training for years at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacorand this Monday ignited the spirit of the fans who came to enjoy the first day of the tournament.

shelbyh20 years old, faced the Australian in the match that closed the day Alexei Popyrin, and things could not have started better. Pleasure on a physical level, His punches completely dislocated his rival, enduring the downpour as best he could. before the delirium of a crowd that fervently supported the Jordanian, treating him like a Qatari.

After losing the first set 6-3 and as the games went by, Popyrin settled down and, gradually, began to impose the greatest power of his serve and his tennis from the back of the court to score the second set in even scores . and take the match to a colorful third set.

With the center court almost full, Shelbayh and Popyrin put all their efforts into the game until the score was 4-4, marking the course of the match. The Australian’s break in a marathon ninth game ended the hopes of the young Jordanian player and the crowd.which at that time was perceived as if it was a tie for the old Davis Cup.

Finally, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 for a Popyrin who left was applauded, although not as much Shelbayh, one of the players called to do good things on the circuit in the following years.

“To describe Abdullah, you have to study his talent. I think he is a player with a very special natural talent., has the ability to do things that most people cannot do. He makes opponents uncomfortable with his style of play. I know this because I have trained him several times.” explained Rafa Nadalone of the most closely followed its evolution in recent times.

“He added something very important, the last year and a half has taken a step forward when it comes to tennis experience. He realized that what he really wanted was to become a professional player, he worked hard for it” added the Manacor champion.

He also has no doubts about his future Toni Nadal, the discoverer of the Jordanian player and the architect of his arrival in Manacor when he was almost 14 years old.. “Over the years, I think he has improved almost every aspect of the game. However, in the last year, its improvement is noticeable and definite. He has many options to get to the circuit as soon as possible. I am sure that we will see him soon in the big tournaments,” said the head of the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Shelbayh, currently number 230 in the ATP, faces a crucial moment in her career in 2024 to jump into the top 100 and establish himself among the elite of world tennis. He will try after a brilliant 2023 where he made history by becoming the first Jordanian to win the Challenger tournament, in Charleston (United States), in addition to adding his first victories on the ATP circuit, in Banja Luka and Metz , which allowed him to close the year by participating in the NextGen Finals, the Masters tournament that brings together the eight best players in the world under the age of 21 who are not classified for the ATP Finals, as was the case with Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner last year.