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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons For the young at heart
Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
They are over the hill but at this particular tournament, they looked and played every bit the champions they once were.
At the Meridien Heliopolis Veteran Tennis Championship, held for players as old as 60, the reunion with history was worth it.
"We're hidden behind desks working day and night, so tennis is our only outlet especially when we meet those we used to play with and against in the past," said Sherine El-Sakka, a 12-time Egyptian tennis champion. "But we're no longer tense. We're at ease. Nerve-wracking matches are far behind us," said Hoda Baligh, a 10-time champion.
The brainchild of veteran player Helmi Abdel-Razik and Meridien's PR woman Nihal Zamzam, and under the auspices of General Manager Hussein Ghalib, the tournament, the first of its kind, takes a page out of the Western world of tennis where championships for has-beens, unlike other sports, are officially recognised and sanctioned.
The competition was played on the tennis courts of Smash, a two-year-old private tennis school akin to Nick Bolleiteiri's academy in the US. Nearly 200 Egyptians and foreign-based players entered but only the best 50 seeded players, including 12 foreigners, qualified for the six-day tournament. The competition included six events: four events for men above 30, 40, 50 and 60, and two events for women above 30 and 45.
Tarek El-Deeb, Egypt's veteran champion for 20 years, won the above-60 event, beating Sami Gabi, an ex-table tennis player. Mohamed Fathi beat Harri Hasesek of Yugoslavia in the above-50 event. Hassanein Sharafeddin, a former Egyptian handball team captain, beat Tarek Abdel-Aziz in the above-40 category. As for the above-30 event, Mohamed Azmi beat Ashraf Ali Ibrahim.
In the women's above-45 event, Nadine Delebanis from Greece defeated Naglaa Fathi, Egypt's handball team captain when she was in her 20s. Sherine El-Sakka beat compatriot Hoda Baligh.
"It was a local friendly veteran tournament," said Nagi Sarhan, the tournament director, "where old players could still feel alive on court. It was a chance for them to keep fit, maintain the challenge and win once more," Nagi added.
Even the prizes were for pure relaxation: two-day pleasure trips to France or Spain and Nile cruises.
