Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh looked up to two tennis legends - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - during his formative years, but the influence that one of them had on him shaped his game.
The youngster, who is set to compete in the 2023 ATP Next Generation Finals later this month, said he made the switch from playing right-handed to left after watching Rafael Nadal.
Elaborating on the early influence in his latest interview with the ATP, Shelbayh said he idolized Roger Federer in his early years and modeled his game around the Swiss - even incorporating the one-handed backhand into his playing style.
However, that changed once he saw Nadal, who the youngster had not even heard of until he saw the Spaniard take on Federer in one of their matches. The level that the Spaniard brought to the court was enough to convince Shelbayh to make the switch to playing left-handed. He said:
“My first memory of watching tennis was Roger Federer. I used to play with the right and one-hand backhand as well because of Roger, I didn’t know who Rafael Nadal was."
He added:
"I saw one guy playing Roger because I only knew Roger back then. Then I saw one guy playing with the left hand [Nadal] and later that day I started to play with the left hand."
Jordan’s Abdullah Shelbayh is a graduate of Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy
Abdullah Shelbayh was first spotted by Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal, who enlisted him into the Rafa Nadal Academy at the young age of 13. He would go on to graduate from the institute in 2021.
The youngster has since set many firsts for tennis in his country, including becoming the first Jordanian to win an ATP main draw match - which he accomplished earlier this year in April.
He had made his way to the main draw at the ATP 250 event in Banja Luka after coming through the qualification rounds. The youngster then defeated fellow qualifier Elias Ymer 6-1, 7-5 in the first round.
Shelbayh has been awarded a wildcard entry into the ATP Next Gen Finals, scheduled to be held from 28 November to 2 December 2023 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The event presents him with the unique opportunity to test his mettle against some of the best up-and-coming players in the world. Shelbayh will find himself pitted against the likes of Arthur Fils, Luca Van Assche, Dominic Stricker and Alex Michelsen among others.
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