The two athletes have taken it upon themselves to construct a team for the future.
Tennis in Egypt is still thriving. There have been only a handful of top athletes from the African nation. Currently, there are no athletes from Egypt in the top 100 in the ATP rankings. The highest-ranked Egyptian is the World No.360. The Egyptian Davis Cup leader has been the top athlete in the nation for an extended period of time.
After Safwat, another athlete has also achieved high rankings. However, both athletes are approaching their mid-30s and have only a limited number of years left in their tennis careers. Therefore, it becomes necessary to prepare a group of athletes who can succeed them. Safwat discussed this in a recent conversation with the National.
The 33-year-old disclosed how he and Maamoun are collaborating with the Egyptian Tennis Federation (ETF) to support the emerging athletes. The Egyptian Davis Cup leader recently led his team to victory over Ecuador, securing a spot in the World Group I for the first time. Egypt defeated Ecuador 3-1, with a rising star playing a crucial role.
24-year-old Alexandrian Amr Elasrawy caused a major upset by defeating former top-100 player Emilio Gomez, helping his team qualify for the playoffs in September. Safwat, 33, and Maamoun, 32, are working with these talented young athletes to prepare the team for the future. They also had a conversation with the president of the Egyptian Tennis Federation, former top-40 player Ismail El Shafei, regarding this matter.
Mohamed Safwat and Karim Mohamed Maamoun, after consulting with the ETF president, devised a plan where Safwat would take charge and establish a Davis Cup program, with him as the playing captain, while Maamoun would lead a development program that brings together six of the most promising athletes under the ETF’s umbrella.
The new system in place provides the rising stars with a training facility, a tennis coach, a fitness coach, and a companion who ensures they are never alone during tournaments. When they travel to Sharm El Sheikh to compete in ITF events, either Safwat or Maamoun accompanies them.
The ETF and relevant authorities are also working to provide opportunities for them to compete internationally. The new system also ensures that deserving athletes are given a wildcard entry to the ITFs hosted in Egypt, instead of the previous rotational system.
The new system is yielding positive results, with many athletes achieving better outcomes at the ITF events.
According to the Source firstsportz.com