Tennis Player, Mohamed Safwat, The First Egyptian in 22 Years to Compete in a Grand Slam
By Nada Hamouda
The first time Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat saw inside the Court of Philippe Chatrier was when Serbia’s Victor Troicki withdrew the match for a back injury. Allowing him to get to play the opening match at the French Open on Sunday morning.
On Saturday evening, the 27-year-old Safwat found out he was next in line when the Ukrainian, Alexandr Dolgopolov, became the sixth player to withdraw from the French Open, Roland Garros. The situation gave him a chance to face Grigor Dimitrov, from Bulgaria, who won 6-1, 6-4, and 7-6.
However, the results showed that Safwat grew in confidence as the match progressed. After all, Safwat has only been informed hours before the match so he had little time to prepare.
Mansoura-born Safwat ranks 182 worldwide and became the first Egyptian in 22 years to contest a Grand Slam main draw since Tamer El Sawy competed at the French and US Opens in 1996.
