Benjamin Hassan: One time ‘pastime participant’ to Olympic athlete | ATP Tour

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Benjamin Hassan: One time ‘pastime participant’ to Olympic athlete

The 29-year-old is one among two gamers representing Lebanon within the Olympics

July 27, 2024

Of the 40 nations represented at Paris 2024 Olympics males’s tennis occasion, Lebanon is the one one with no prior illustration within the discipline.

However final month, Benjamin Hassan was notified that he would have the honour of turning into one of many first tennis gamers to signify Lebanon within the Olympics, alongside countryman Hady Habib, whom faces four-time main champion Carlos Alcaraz within the first spherical.

The 29-year-old Hassan is among the many discipline of 64 singles gamers through a ‘College Place’, which awards one spot, in each males’s and ladies’s, to nations which can be under-represented within the Olympic Video games. He can even associate Habib in doubles.

“Once I first heard it, I couldn’t imagine it. It was unbelievable for me as a result of it was very spontaneous,” Hassan instructed ATPTour.com. “I heard earlier than that they’ve some spots for gamers, however I wasn’t positive what sort of rule it was or if I might use that. I requested my Federation if they will test they usually instructed me, ‘Look Benjamin, we’re very late. Most likely not going to work out.’

“I believed, ‘Okay, there’s no probability, however at the least I attempted.’ I believe a number of days earlier than the Stuttgart [ATP 250] event, I acquired the data. I used to be actually completely satisfied.”

To grasp how Hassan has reached this level takes revisiting his previous. Hassan’s father, Zaki, fled the Lebanon Battle within the early Eighties and emigrated to Germany, the place he later met his spouse, Fadia, who is also from Beirut, the capital metropolis of Lebanon.

Although Benjamin was born and raised in Germany, he additionally holds Lebanese citizenship. He has proudly represented Lebanon in Davis Cup motion since 2018.

“Lebanon is a really lovely nation. Very small. You have got the mountains the place you may ski, you will have the seaside, you are able to do all of it in someday, a two hour drive. You have got excellent nightlife, superb meals. I take pleasure in it each time I am going there,” stated Hassan, who faces Christopher Eubanks within the opening spherical of the Olympics.

Certainly one of 10 Lebanese athletes within the Paris Olympic Video games, Hassan developed a ardour for tennis alongside his father, a former Davis Cup participant from the Center Jap nation. Regardless of Hassan’s early goals of an expert tennis profession, he confronted challenges as a young person, discovering it troublesome to dedicate himself totally to the game.

“I believe from 13 to 22, it was not in my thoughts anymore. I used to be finding out in Germany, I actually didn’t have it in my thoughts. I used to be a pastime participant who performed as soon as every week only for enjoyable,” Hassan stated. “Once I was a young person, I used to be not curious about turning into an expert tennis participant. It simply didn’t catch me. I don’t know what it was, however I used to be actually not into it.

“I used to be enjoying for enjoyable with pals. I didn’t practise, didn’t do health, this sort of stuff. For that quantity of apply, I used to be nonetheless actually good, however distant from competing in skilled tennis. Then I got here again at 22.”

The one-time ‘pastime participant’ can now formally name himself an Olympian. One month faraway from hitting his career-high No. 143 within the PIF ATP Rankings, the three-time ATP Challenger Tour finalist credit that minor-league-esque stage as a key stepping stone to the place he’s in the present day.

“Finish of 2017, 2018, I began with Futures. I performed very effectively from the start, two finals, gained a title. And I had the rating round 400, 500. I wished to go on to Challengers. It took me loads of years to adapt to that stage as a result of the extent was so good. I had powerful matches there,” Hassan stated.

“I simply keep in mind struggling for a very long time as a result of the extent was too good for me, though I gained Futures. You’ll be able to see so many good guys within the Prime 100 now who performed loads of Challengers and are nonetheless enjoying Challengers. The extent shouldn’t be that removed from what we see on tv.”

This month’s journey to Paris will already be memorable for Hassan, who hopes his dad and mom and a few of his 4 siblings could make the journey from Germany. And will an opportunity come to coach with one of many sport’s superstars, it could solely add to this unique journey of a lifetime.

“I’ve by no means in my profession practised with the large names like Alcaraz, Nadal, Djokovic, Zverev,” stated Hassan. “I’ve seen them rather a lot at tournaments, however I’ve by no means practised with them. I wish to this time.”