Hady Habib blazed a trail by taking Lebanon to the Olympic tennis tournament for the first time earlier this year and he is hoping another breakthrough at the Australian Open in January will bring comfort to his war-torn country.
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Tennis - Men's Singles First Round - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - July 27, 2024. Hady Habib of Lebanon in action during his first round match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo
The experience fired his ambitions to get back to the biggest stages in the tennis world and he took a step towards that goal when he won a Challenger title in Chile earlier this month to clinch a spot in Australian Open qualifying."I'd had a couple of hard weeks before that. This was a goal of mine and to be able to achieve it in this last tournament and being the first Lebanese to win a Challenger, just so much joy.
Habib moved back to Lebanon with his family at the age of six and is extremely proud to represent the nation, particularly since the war in Gaza spilled over into conflict in the southern part of the country this year. "Everyone who's living outside of Lebanon will tell you the same thing: it's horrific to see what's happening in a country that we all love so much."
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