A radiant face, the happiness of being present in Oran to represent his country. Nothing can disturb the tennis player Inès Ibbou, happy to share this experience of the Mediterranean Games with the Algerian team.
From our special correspondent in Oran,
“ What an honor to play in front of his audience. You will have to give the best of yourself. I’m going to give it my all “, loose Inès Ibbou, like a blow of the racket, her eyes wide open. For the first time, the player finds herself in a team to face other nations, under the azure blue sky of Oran.
Encourage your compatriots
” Usually we are alone on the circuit, it’s every man for himself. There, I will be able to encourage the others “, enthuses Inès Ibbou who had a somewhat difficult year 2021 with a shoulder injury. Since last February, she has been getting back into the swing of things and hopes to be on top to shine in Oran. She prepared for Doha in Qatar earlier this year. Above all, she knows that she is one of the representatives of Algerian tennis which is progressing, unfortunately not enough to weigh on the international level.
” It’s a bit the same for the whole African continent », Advances the one who played a quarter-final in France in Denain on a W25 tournament last June, enough to find colors. Since the age of 12, she has given her all, and willingly cites the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, number two in the world, a worthy representative of African tennis as an example. “ It opens a way, it shows us the example. What she does is exceptional, I wish her to go even further. And why not take the number one spot “, she says. An example that the Algerian hopes to follow in the coming years. Quoting the longevity of Serena Williams, 40 years old, and still on the circuit.
” I was six years old when I started playing tennis, says Inès Ibbou. It was at school near Algiers. I immediately liked it. I went to France from the age of eight to compete “. From then on, Inès Ibbou took a liking to confrontation and the little yellow ball, on clay, her favorite surface.
The dream of Roland-Garros
Inès Ibbou, cap screwed on her head, dreams of Roland-Garros. There, she had experienced two junior tournaments (2015 and 2016). ” The level of women’s tennis is high. Getting to the top is quite a challenge. But I don’t want to limit myself », Says the 23-year-old young woman, who loves the warmth of the Oran people.
“ The Mediterranean Games are an exceptional event for Algeria and I am happy that we come to discover our culture and our country. “. At the tennis club of Oran, Inès Ibbou is far from being an unknown. He is asked for selfies and the support of the public will be invaluable to him. Last May, Inès Ibbou won the first international “Pro-ITF circuit” tennis tournament in Oran.
In addition to Algeria with its 8 athletes (4 men and 4 women) involved, seventeen other nations will be present. Youcef Rihane, Rayan Dylan Ghedjemis, Toufik Sahtali and Samir Hamza-Reguig for the men, and Ines Ibbou, Amira Benaissa, Ines Bekrar and Lynda Benkaddour for the women defend the colors of Algeria.