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Hady Habib, the surprising lone tennis player from a country at war


Hady Habib
Hady Habib after his Olympic debut / SEBASTIÁN FEST
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PARIS – When Hady Habib, 25, ranked 275th in the world, wants to train his powerful serve, his partner is a basket.

With no sponsors or rivals of his level in Lebanon, Habib is a tennis player who is alone in his quest for success. And on this rainy Saturday in Paris, he was convinced it made sense when he heard three words from Carlos Alcaraz: ‘Very good level’.

Habib lost 6-3, 6-1 to the world number two, but he delivered lively, ambitious tennis at the Stade Suzanne Lenglen, with a devastating serve at times. It was the greatest moment of his career, perhaps of his life.

‘He said very good level which is surprising coming from him. But I take his words to heart. I take his words to heart and I’m very humbled by what he said. This is just playing him and realising that it was not so far off. I just need to focus on some details strong enough to get to that level.’

How difficult is it to be a tennis player in a country known for being at war for decades and suffering one of the highest inflations in the world?

‘It’s extremely difficult playing for a small country with limited financial help. But I’m doing the best I can. We have a great president, Oliver Fayssal, who’s helping us the best he can. And I play Davis Cup, and I get to play these events. So it’s just such an honour to represent Lebanon.’

Big tennis atmopshpehere at Suzanne Lenglen court / SEBASTIÁN FEST

Hady Habib was born in the United States and went to college there, something that shows in his clear, fluent English. He didn’t plan to be facing Alcaraz today on one of tennis’ biggest stages, but the sport has a way of surprising from time to time.

‘I was born in Houston, so I was practicing in Houston and I got the email that I got in doubles and I was just incredibly excited to be an Olympian. It was just, yeah, I was lost for words.’

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And how about the singles entry? ‘Yeah, that’s another long story. I initially came here to France, I stayed at a friend’s apartment. I was two days and I wasn’t able to practice actually because our delegation got here on Wednesday, so I only got my credentials to get in on Wednesday. So I found out Tuesday afternoon that Hurkacz pulled out and I get in, so then I’m like panicking.’

‘I need to get my credential. I need to start practicing. I’m creating scenarios in my head, I could play Rafa Djokovic, Alcaraz, and just start hitting balls. So I woke up early the next day, got my credentials, got to the courts, and just tried to prepare myself the best I can’.

And when the Alcaraz draw came out? When did you find out about that?

“That was Thursday, Thursday morning, our captain went to the draw and I got the message, I was in shock, a little bit lost for words. I was like is this real I mean I’m playing against the best player in the world?

“Today I walked on the court and started to. I see him bouncing around, the coin toss. I just got in the zone. I just blocked out the whole crowd. I was just focused on the ball and just everything I could control. I honestly didn’t know who was sitting and watching that. I just saw who was in my box briefly. My mom was there which was amazing, she’s so happy to be there, and of course our president federation’.

“She got in a little bit late because they had issues with the visa, but she got in on time. I think she’s never going to forget this the rest of her life.”

While Alcaraz and Habib were battling it out in a packed Suzanne Lenglen with the roof closed, the rain was coming down hard in Paris. It happened at the Roland Garros that the Spaniard won, it is happening now at his first Olympic Games: rain rules. Despite what the result suggests, the duel with the Lebanese had attractive moments, especially from the very powerful service of the Asian.

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A serve that is almost a miracle: ‘To be honest, it’s tough for me to find practice, because I don’t really have a coach, so I just go out there and serve baskets on my own’.

Hady Habib waiting for Alcaraz´s serve / SEBASTIÁN FEST

Paris 2024 changed Habib’s life.

‘Ever since I got drawn against Alcaraz, every single Lebanese person has messaged me. And I’ve gotten so many, like, positive words from them. And it means the world to them that i’m playing the best player from Spain like from in the world but they have now tough times, you know. In Lebanon we’ve been struggling with a lot of things lately, and we’ve battled our way back. I feel like our culture is so strong that we always find a way to come back. That’s kind of what I want to represent, like just fighting through adversity and challenges that I have to deal with’.

Being at the Olympics forces tough decisions, especially if you have to compete on the opening day, hours after the opening ceremony.

‘Last night I went to the opening ceremony. I got back at like 11 and I had to get dinner and I mean, even though I knew how to play Alcaraz the next day, during all that I was still thinking about it, but there was so much going on. It was almost distracting me from my match, but I was able to get some good sleep on those cardboard beds. And today I just lived my dream.

Hady Habib doesn’t just train alone a lot of the time: he doesn’t have any sponsors either. In his Olympic debut he combined brands like Nike, Babolat and Yonex. His hope is that this will change.

‘I think that now that I’ve gotten more exposure, hopefully I’ll be able to get a sponsor or something to be able to help me boost my career.’

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