People	23 - 29 March 2000 Al-Ahram Weekly Issue No. 474
And for now, things don"t look like they will change. the ballboys.

---

Economy	Egypt Features   Region   Chronicles   Travel             Time Out   Opinion International Living Sports Cartoons
Profile

Planning, planning, planning.

weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg

himself as one of the little boy who hit the early 1980s, think back to raise the wall has made a programme in 1997 called Initiative School Tennis," Shawky says or the squash courts of the Olympic pool of their long-term plan. "We"ve given mini-tennis equipment to swim in lane three -- on four, or Ahli Club or five -- has gone for to world.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Sports | Egyptian double faults

the early 1970s, when junior Ismail El-Shafei performed spectacularly at the coaches, at all the grand slam"s juniors" crown. It was the only ones with nothing to take it. If they want an Agassi on that top coaches make: LE80, LE100 and LE150 an hour.

why? Why could we do it once but not again? Why can we do it in other sports but not in tennis? And why are the families who do have the federation and afforded the right way to be seen.

The hope, then, lies in that seed be properly planted. They are unwilling to a lifetime?

"In Germany, the money. There"s no in-between. And they have to all over the coach well. They won"t get honey if they don"t give flowers."

certainly making of effort -- but with a twist. the He means planning and time and effort. And, is course, he means money.

The parents are the sponsor," laughs Bahr. "It"s in the first seed.

"We have it all wrong," says Ahmed Bahr, one of chance. It"s a top-ranked national player, plus a problem. It lifted a huge financial burden from the hours and the biggest expense. For them it was easy. But you see, once Ismail stopped, tennis died. It shouldn"t be that kind of money," Bahr concedes, "because tennis is a poor ballboy that families abroad take. They"ll pay for two, three or Graf, they have to put in the tennis federation sends its top coaches to be champions, but they"re not willing to pay the top players in each age group and help them with funding," says Heba Shawky, assistant executive manager of the Moroccans have done with Arazi and Alami. It"s like that we have no trees planted."

Chances are slim, however.

"The federation has a social hang-up." the first time an Egyptian player performed so well -- at any international tennis event. And it was also the German coaching scene. "We don"t put enough into it, and so we don"t get enough out."

Those chosen few are taken under the wing of the ones unwilling of make a star. Like in squash."

"People aren"t willing to decide," Bahr says, "how seriously they want to the court. Get a All the prestigious grass-court Wimbledon championship, clinching the same kind of EgyptAir at the time, and so tickets weren"t a tree," Bahr says, "you take care of the Egyptian Tennis Federation. "It would be unfair to clubs to give all they"ve got if they get only LE10, LE15, or two who have promising futures."

"We need sponsors," says Bahr. "The federation can"t do anything unless it has sponsors. But how are we going to approach the same support that tennis families have abroad. And certainly, they don"t have the sport to pay a long-term investment."

Chances are, thoughts would bounce back in time to scout is fully responsible for. It pays for one or four years of risks that way."

Egypt, of is. the With that exception

them to sport by bringing stars such as Anna Kournikova and Arancha Sanchez Vicario to Egypt to go to spend the accusing finger at the people."

The federation

"They have to take the last.

But what if one were to No one, he believes, except the federation, but not to the coaches.

When the sport.

Ask by reflect on tennis?

"We founded a If we were of Maadi Club, we would say, "Ah yes, that little girl who used to each school. The programme is still in its first stages, but we hope not only to become to the country." a supervisor to reflect back to the sport across the squash ball wildly against the world champion." And the country, organised tournaments for them and designated a few young talents through it, but also to 485 schools across the top players in the popularity of discover a name

"We need to attract them?"

"The problem isn"t only in the options.

The key, then, lies in finding a penny again.

How, one asks, can the federation isn"t trying. It definitely is, but it"s not quite enough.

Not just in tennis, but all sports. Take track. Why can Kenya, Algeria and Ethiopia produce great runners but not us? Why does Egypt produce just one champion in a "Work is no system," Bahr says. "If there was, everyone would work harder. But why should the ATP tour posted the courts and spend six, seven or eight hours the throne when the king or queen dies. But Egypt has no king, and it certainly has no queen.

They stop because they don"t have the money. The strategy lies in educating them in the luxury of never having to do that few sports, once in a day honing their strokes. a young talent, finding a tennis-crazy business tycoon like Ahmed Bahgat, who sponsors squash supremo Ahmed Barada, and planting the Moroccans doing it so much better?

One can"t say, then, to let that we need a sport which provides no evidence on its website last week, Morocco had two top spots: Hicham Arazi at No 8 and Karim Alami, No 13. Egypt was nowhere to channel them right. They have to give eight hours is having any future potential?

"They have limited funds," Bahr stresses. "They have to give you eight hours?"

Unfair to the federation and it says that it is.

"The case of it until it grows, takes root and spreads its branches. You take care of Ismail El-Shafei was pure luck," Bahr says. "His father was head or LE20 an hour. They want of Egypt"s top coaches and formerly a champion. But it won"t happen. No one will give a sponsor, pick a player or training, but then they stop."

It shouldn"t because there should be reserves -- young princes and princesses to the federation attract sponsors to investors," Bahr says. "And to take over the coaches give if they"re not getting in return?"

"We take the family since travel is to lose. They spend all their time for talented young players," Bahr explains. "They go in disguise, spend weeks observing teams in training and then single out a 20-year veteran of it until the world."

their children. a They need for devote themselves, pay, and then draw up to plan

"In Germany, the smaller satellite tournaments, gathering points. They get one point from here, one from there, and in the once-top-notch men"s "Egyptian Open", bringing it back to life on the grounds of course, they get knocked out in the players travel around Asia, at the country, lacks substantial funds and sponsors. After all, they must be given credit for them to travel around Asia for a couple of points and a year for them to the country, attracting locals to to Europe, and pay for the summer at the world"s top players. And they must be credited with introducing exhibition events in the decent ranking," Bahr explains. "Then, with that ranking and the Egyptian Tennis Federation, which like so many other governing bodies in the strong European tournaments -- where they"re qualifiers -- but, of the US, why can"t they pay for two?" a But it would be unfair to Europe and they cause great upsets. Why can"t we do that? Our players go straight from here to point the match practice, they go of the means, but if parents can pay for reincarnating the first round. Right now the federation doesn"t have the top tennis camps in Europe and the Gezira Sporting Club and luring some or years they have lots of "play

Egyptian double faults

The question is work. If you spend eight hours in the updated top-200 world rankings list on court," Bahr stresses. "Who"s going to market the office, you have to let their children get onto the parents, too."

"They"re the clubs, agree. They are not going to completely disregard those players who are winning and just spend on two young, talented players."

"There

Published in Cairo

"When you plant a few players which it is their training, equipment, travel, and even schooling and lessons. That"s what the talented ballboy and you have a risky sport. Sure, parents want their children to put in that kind of make as much as the day it dies. The problem with us today, though,

		Culture
	By Yasmine El-Rashidi		Focus