A student at EIS Meadows School in Dubai has been tipped as a tennis star of the future.
Already 18-year-old Amirvala Madanchi, who is originally from Iran but has lived in Dubai for the last eight years, is making a name for himself on the international circuit – having been placed just outside the top 200 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings. Now he’s aiming to become a top-50 player in the ITF rankings and, in time hopes to be a top-50 player on the ATP senior tour.
But Amirvala has worked hard to achieve this status. While other students his age are playing video games with their friends or watching TV, he follows an extremely strict training regime which leaves him little time for anything other than playing tennis or studying.
Rising early, he trains each day from 5.45am until 6.45am. By 7.40am he’s in school where he has almost completed the IGCSE courses. With exams looming, he often stays behind to study. However at 4.15pm he returns to the gym for another hour of fitness training, before he begins tennis practice until 8.45pm each night.
This hard work and dedication is paying off. Amirvala has won a number of tournaments in recent years, including the ITF singles and doubles championships. He’s also been placed as a semi-finalist in tournaments in Iran, Saudi Arabia, India and Qatar. What’s more, he was a quarter-finalist in the extremely competitive ITF event here in Dubai last October. And the young tennis star has even competed in the Wimbledon tournament in the UK.
One of his most notable victories was the ISP event in Nice, France which attracts high ranking tennis stars from all over the world.
Amirvala, who has been compared to Monfils due to his acrobatic playing style, counts Gael Monfils and Rafa Nadal among his heroes. Ambitious by nature, he also has a sense of fair play. “I like the fact that a tennis match is competitive – when you’re on the court it’s like you’re at war. But the game isn’t over until you have shaken your opponent’s hand at the end,” he adds.
The next few years should be an exciting time for the young tennis player with the prospect of rising through the ranks and hopefully qualifying for a tennis scholarship in the United States.
His family currently support him financially and he’s aware that from next year on he’ll need to be sponsored. “I hope to be training with my coach, playing fulltime and travelling for tournaments. Unfortunately it all costs money,” he says, adding that he’s most appreciative of the support he has received from EIS Meadows. “They have been very supportive of my playing. I’m grateful too to my family.
“I’m lucky to be living in Dubai,” he says. “The weather here is perfect for playing tennis and the city has all the facilities I need. Indeed the Al Habtoor Group has done much to support the sport in Dubai and I’m grateful for that too.”