'I just felt so much joy': Lebanon's Hady Habib on reaching his first Grand Slam qualifying tournament

In a season of firsts, Hady Habib saved his best for last as he wrapped up his 2024 campaign by clinching the title at the Temuco Challenger in Chile, becoming the first Lebanese tennis player in history to triumph at that level.

Earlier this year, Habib, and his compatriot Benjamin Hassan, became the first tennis players to represent Lebanon at the Olympics.

The 26-year-old Habib, who was initially granted a universality place to compete alongside Hassan in doubles, was given a last-minute entry into singles, where he took on French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

Facing a top-10 player for the first time, and competing on Roland Garros’ historic terre battue for the first time, Habib gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to play at that level and he walked away from the Paris Olympics motivated and eager to step up.

He hired a new coach in August, Argentinian former player Patricio Heras, and together they set a target to pick up enough ranking points by the end of the season to allow Habib to gain entry into the 2025 Australian Open qualifying draw.

The Texas-born Lebanese has never competed in a Grand Slam tournament before and was adamant on making his major debut.

As the end of the season approached, Habib was still some 100 ranking spots below where he needed to be to lock down his place in Melbourne. Entering Temuco – the very last week of tournaments on the ATP Challenger Tour – Habib was ranked 320 in the world, had picked up just four match wins from his last seven events, and needed to win the title to have any chance of making it to Australia.

“I was going in there thinking like, I’m just going to give my best, play match by match and we’ll see what happens,” Habib told The National in an interview last week.

He made the final without dropping a set and survived a roller-coaster three-setter to defeat world No 105 Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the championship match, securing his Grand Slam qualifying debut and making history for Lebanon in the process.

“It makes the story even cooler to say that I clutched it out in the last tournament, it was epic,” reflected Habib, who is now up to a career-high 216 in the world rankings.

After landing a volley winner on match point, Habib threw himself to the ground and covered his face with his hands, succumbing to the emotion of the occasion.

“I just felt so much joy,” he said. “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 that I got emotional a little bit, because of all the hard times when I had to pick myself up.

"The day of the final, I was supposed to play at 12 but it was raining. So I was waiting at the club for like six [hours] before I got on the court again. The whole time I was thinking about the match and trying to prepare myself, knowing what’s on the line.

“I think pressure is a good thing, it’s a privilege to be able to play these kind of matches. I enjoy it and I know it brings the best out of me and I’m just so grateful to be able to win it. This is going to change my career for sure.”

That career-changing moment came on December 1 and, given he will start his 2025 campaign on January 6 in Australia, Habib had to cancel his plans to visit his family in Lebanon for Christmas and is instead already back on court for a training block with his coach Heras and fitness trainers, Daniel Nizzero and Mario Dure, in Buenos Aires. He took just three days off between winning the title in Temuco and starting his pre-season preparations.

Habib, who was born in Houston but moved to Lebanon with his family at the age of six, was introduced to tennis at Mtayleb Country Club in Beirut when he was nine years old.

He takes great pride in making history for his country, especially during these difficult times for Lebanon.

“It means the world to me, honestly. It’s an incredible feeling, for Lebanese tennis, the people, especially what they’ve been going through, I’ve been able to bring something positive and show the resilience that I have,” he said.

“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. Especially my family being there, every morning I would just check my phone immediately to make sure they’re OK and all my friends are OK. It took a toll; it took a toll but I had to deal with it. It was a hard time.”

Being away from his family for large stretches of time is one of the toughest things Habib has to deal with but the lack of tennis structure in Lebanon makes it hard for him to train there.

“I’m really close with my family so it’s very hard for me to not be able to see them. I know they’re getting older, but it’s a sacrifice I have to make,” he says.

Habib, who studied and played tennis for Texas A&M University and was the No 1-ranked collegiate tennis player in the US before graduating in 2021, is happy that the hard work and sacrifices are finally paying off.

“It's been one of the best years of my career,” he said. “Being able to play the Olympics, playing Alcaraz on Suzanne Lenglen and my mum was there watching me, so that was even more incredible. That was one of the best moments as well.

“The hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, that’s the moral of the story. If I just keep digging and keep pushing myself, I know good things will happen.”

Habib felt he wasn’t mentally prepared for his match against Alcaraz, given how last-minute his inclusion in singles was, but he took a lot of positives from that experience.

“I just soaked it all in, it was incredible. He’s a great athlete, a great competitor, and I felt like I did my best. It was definitely an experience to learn from,” he said.

“Playing that match, knowing what it’s like at that level, really helped me know what I need to work on and kind of gave me a guide of the specific things in my game I need to work on. Tennis is so specific in that way. I feel like everyone can play good tennis but it’s the small details that matter.”

Building a team around him has been key for Habib’s improvement – along with some financial support from his sponsor Taseer Badar of ZT Wealth – and he is able to pinpoint the areas in which he has progressed the most since he started working with Heras and Co.

“We’ve been working a lot on the intensity that I’m playing at. Just the energy and the overall intensity,” he explained. “I was practising at a good intensity but it wasn’t at the intensity that I’m playing at right now.

“It’s something I had to work on every day in practice to really give more than 100 per cent, in every practice, every session, anything. And I know that paid off. I could see it in my matches. People were saying that about me when they saw me play recently, that the intensity and energy was different. That’s the main thing I improved.”

Habib says getting to finally compete at a Grand Slam is a “dream come true” and one he felt was so far away when he was unranked and first started playing on the professional circuit.

He is excited about competing in Australia next month, where there is a large Lebanese community that will no doubt show up for his qualifying matches to support him.

“I have some family actually in Australia who are going to come out and watch me, so it’s going to be amazing,” he added.

Looking ahead to 2025 as a whole, Habib has several targets in mind.

“I do set goals, I think it’s really important for me to have a plan, something me and my team have worked on. I think if you have a dream, that’s great, but if you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a way of getting there,” he said.

“For 2025, my goal is to compete in all the Grand Slams and another big goal of mine is to qualify for the main draw of a Slam. I think that would be another milestone and an incredible goal to achieve, that’s what’s next.”

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