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00:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:02I always keep myself hungry
00:04to make sure that every time I'm out there
00:06I'm bringing my best tennis
00:08and I'm putting my opponents under so much pressure.
00:11It's been 28 years since 1998
00:14that we've been hosting the Qatar masses.
00:16It puts Qatar on the map
00:18and it's a great thing bringing golf.
00:20It's a wonderful event.
00:25Hello and welcome to Qatar 365
00:27with me, Avil Halim.
00:28On this episode, we explore how sports continue to play a major role
00:32in Qatar's National Vision 2030.
00:35Held every February,
00:36Qatar National Sports Day is a public holiday
00:38dedicated to encouraging a healthy lifestyle
00:41not just today, but all year round.
00:43Ioana Hoos will take a swing at golf later in the show,
00:46but first, I hit the court to meet some of the biggest names
00:49in men's and women's tennis.
00:54Just before the opening serve of the Qatar Open,
00:56I sat down for a quick fire round
00:58with some of the best female tennis players on the planet.
01:02Irina, you're the world number one.
01:04Now that you're the top player,
01:05do you prefer being the hunted or the hunter?
01:07And how do you embrace challenges from new,
01:10maybe even hungrier players?
01:11I think you're always hunting.
01:13So you're always a hunter.
01:14It doesn't matter what's your ranking.
01:16So I prefer to be a hunter.
01:19And I always keep myself hungry.
01:21So I'm not focusing on other players.
01:23I'm trying to focus on myself
01:25and trying to improve myself every day,
01:27make sure that every time I'm out there,
01:29I'm bringing my best tennis
01:31and I'm putting my opponents under so much pressure.
01:37Owens, injuries took you out of the top ten last year.
01:39How are you feeling now?
01:40And what's your mindset for 2025?
01:42Do you have your eyes set on comeback player of the year?
01:44Well, I haven't thought about that, but no, maybe yes.
01:47Yeah, injuries are the worst enemy for players
01:51or for tennis players.
01:52And yeah, maybe I'll try to take the positive out of it.
01:56It gives me some time off, you know, the court,
01:58and it was really good.
01:59So I'm hoping to take it one day at a time
02:02and see how it goes, but definitely happy to be back.
02:05Koke, you were chosen as a Team USA female flag bearer
02:10at the Paris Olympics.
02:12The first tennis player to do so, an incredible honor.
02:14You made history.
02:15What did it feel like to represent your country
02:17on an international stage?
02:19Yeah, it was insane.
02:20I didn't expect it at all.
02:22I didn't, never would have thought in my wildest dreams,
02:24let alone my first Olympics, to do that for Team USA
02:28with so many other incredible athletes in the lineup.
02:31so I felt super honored to do that and alongside LeBron James,
02:35which was a pretty, pretty cool plus to it all.
02:38Over in the men's tournament,
02:40there was no shortage of star power either.
02:43Fans couldn't get enough of 24-time Grand Slam champion,
02:46Novak Djokovic, seen here practicing
02:49with another fan favorite, Stefano Tsitsipas.
02:52Just steps from the courts, the Qatar Tennis Federation
02:55is hosting its first exhibition on tennis history in the country.
02:59The mini-museum features digital content,
03:02trophies from regional competitions in the Gulf,
03:04and historic photographs showcasing iconic moments
03:07from the biggest names in tennis history.
03:09We are very proud, you know, that we organized the WTA,
03:14which is in the first tournament in the Middle East,
03:17you know, Qatar, they hosted in 2001.
03:20And also very proud that we have a legacy of, you know,
03:25tournament for the ExxonMobil men's, which started in 1993.
03:29And, you know, after 32 years, we have graded to 500.
03:34That upgrade means more than half of the top 10 players
03:37arrived in Doha, including 26-year-old Alex Di Menor.
03:41Alex, so you're coming in as the world number six.
03:46Do you ever feel underestimated on the circuit?
03:48And do you kind of use that as motivation on the court?
03:50Look, I always feel it as motivation, right?
03:54Because ultimately, I want to keep on getting the most out of myself.
03:58I've pushed myself throughout the years to keep on improving
04:02and keep getting better.
04:03And I still don't think I've reached my ceiling.
04:06So I'm going to keep on pushing forward to hopefully win a lot of matches
04:11and keep improving my ranking.
04:17Paulo Bedosa returns to Doha for the fourth time
04:20on the back of an incredible run.
04:22After dropping all the way to the 140th spot last season,
04:26the former world number two is back in the top 10.
04:29I got a chance to sit down with the 27-year-old Spanish player
04:33ahead of this year's Cutter Open.
04:37Paulo, you're the reigning WTA comeback player of the year.
04:40You jumped from 100 ranking last May to the top 10 this year.
04:44Welcome back. How does it feel?
04:45Very good, especially after all the struggles,
04:48being back where I wanted to be, one of the best players in the world.
04:52It was a big goal for me.
04:54So doing it so fast, it was a little bit unexpected,
04:57but I'm proud of all the journey.
05:00You're known for your power in your aggressive baseline game.
05:02Has your playing style changed since your comeback?
05:04I'm trying. I'm trying to do small adjustments.
05:06It's always tricky and difficult to do that kind of things,
05:10but I'm trying to maybe be a little bit more aggressive
05:13because seeing how tennis is evolving now that players are very powerful,
05:17maybe closing up a little bit more the points on the net,
05:21trying to dominate with my serve.
05:24So I'm trying to do all these small adjustments,
05:26and hopefully in some months I have it more under control.
05:31After your back injury in 2024, how did you manage to rebuild your body
05:34and mind to compete in the semis of the Australian Open this year?
05:38Yeah, it was a very long and tough journey to get to that.
05:42I mean, it was tough. I had to work a lot.
05:44I had a lot of setbacks, but I think mentally there I was very strong,
05:49and I kept continuing believing.
05:53I think that's very important sometimes when you lose faith
05:56and things don't work and don't go your way.
05:59But in that moment I searched and I tried to find strength from anywhere.
06:03And yeah, I think I'm a fighter in this case,
06:07and I'm a very competitive player.
06:09So yeah, finally I could achieve my goals.
06:11You mentioned the mental aspect.
06:13You've been very open about your mental health.
06:15How do you feel that tennis in comparison with the other major pro sports
06:18helps players deal with stress, anxiety and depression?
06:21I think it's a really tough sport and it tests you every day,
06:25every single day on that because it's a very mental one.
06:28You're alone on the court. You're managing so many emotions.
06:31You're always in a stressed, a lot of stress against a player with yourself,
06:38a lot of mental fights.
06:39So I think it gets you and it brings you to the limit in that case.
06:43So I think that's why it's a very tough sport.
06:45And I think that's why most of the players struggle sometimes in some period of their careers mentally.
06:52And you've also been in the spotlight for your relationship with another high profile tennis player,
06:56Stefano Tsitsipas.
06:57What have you guys learned from each other?
06:58So many things.
06:59I mean, he's been, he is such an amazing player.
07:02So getting to know how he works, how he thinks, so many things, his daily stuff.
07:10It's so inspiring for me.
07:11And I think the opposite also.
07:13So we always ask for advice to one and each other.
07:17And I think it helped us both.
07:19And you're back in beautiful Doha.
07:20It's now a WTA 1000 event.
07:23What does that mean for a player like yourself?
07:25It's very important to have these big tournaments for us.
07:28At the end, I think us, the best players in the world, we want to challenge each other against each other.
07:34We want to play these big tournaments.
07:36And having Doha as a thousand now, I think it's great for all of us.
07:41And I think it's going to be a beautiful one.
07:43And lastly, what's your goal for 2025?
07:45Continue like this.
07:46Hopefully I can finish the year how I started.
07:50That means being one of the best players in the world.
07:53From serves on the court to swings on the course, Johanna Huze attends the Qatar Masters,
08:00the prestigious professional golf tournament in Doha, to learn all about the perfect putt
08:05and why this sport draws a crowd in the region.
08:08It's nearly tea time at the commercial bank Qatar Masters 2025,
08:14and the players on the course are ready to swing.
08:17Part of the DP World Tour, the prestigious tournament is hosted by the Doha Golf Club,
08:21with many of the world's top golfers all hoping to hit that hole in one
08:25and take home the significant prize fund that comes with a win.
08:29It's been 28 years since 1998 that we've been hosting the Qatar Masters.
08:34I mean, just the years, the number of years that can tell you how wonderful to have an event like this here in Qatar.
08:41I mean, it puts Qatar on the map, and it's a great thing bringing golf.
08:45You know, it's a wonderful event.
08:48One of the really amazing things about the commercial bank Qatar Masters is its history.
08:55You can really look back over the years, see some of the fantastic names that have won this tournament,
09:00the amazing trophy that comes with it, and that's something we're very proud of.
09:04The team here at Qatar, Doha Golf Club, just produce an amazing golf course in wonderful condition.
09:10Lovely lush green fairways, but also the desert and the rockery, that is why the players love it here.
09:18The DP World Tour is also known as the European Tour and is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe.
09:25However, since the 1980s, many of its tournaments actually take place outside the European continent, hence the Qatar Masters.
09:33Now, all of the tour's venues come with their own challenges, but the 18-hole championship course here at the Doha Golf Club
09:40is particularly revered for its desert landscape and windy conditions.
09:45This course is quite challenging. The wind is the biggest challenge here.
09:48And as the week progresses, especially due to on Saturday and Sunday, the greens get really firm and crusty.
09:54So, you know, your ball control in the wind is really tested here.
09:59And towards the end, it becomes tough with the pin position.
10:02So, overall, it tests everything. And I think it's one of our favorite stops in the Middle East.
10:07I think all players love coming here.
10:09The Qatar Masters is one of several top-tier tournaments taking place in the Arabian Gulf,
10:14a region that, with its numerous world-class golf greens, has cemented its position as a professional and amateur golfing destination.
10:21The Middle East is a really important region for us. We first played in Dubai in 1989.
10:28And we are now in Abu Dhabi. We're in Rasul Khmer. But also across the GCC as well.
10:34We are in Bahrain last week and here in Qatar this week.
10:38You see now not just golf tournaments, but so many golf courses as well, which really attracts people from all over the world to come and visit, enjoy golf, but then enjoy the destination and everything else that goes with it.
10:49Organizers of the Qatar Masters say that Qatar's continued and unwavering support for the event is a sign that after 28 years,
10:56the country's commitment to the growth of golf remains quite literally on course.
11:02Qatar, you know, I mean, they love sports. They try to get as many huge events as they can to bring into the country because they think sport is really, it's almost like a way to bring people together.
11:16They back up the tennis, the football and all the other huge events and they put a lot of money.
11:22I mean, I can't say anymore because they're really behind all the sports. I mean, it's great. It puts them on the map worldwide.
11:29From the tennis court to the golf course, we hope you enjoy getting active with us.
11:38Qatar is one of only three countries in the world to dedicate a national day for sports.
11:43This year's theme is it's never too late and the goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle.
11:48But that's all the time we have for now. For more, check out Euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:53Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.