The 26-year-old is all set for the Australian Open main event in Melbourne after defeating Frenchman Clement Chidekh in the final qualifying match 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(10-8) in a real shocker that left a relieved Habib shouted his joy.
Habib has grazed milestones along the way. Last year he became the first player from Lebanon to win an ATP Challenger tournament and was also at the Olympics in Paris where he went out against silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz in the first round, a match he will long remember.
He was born in Houston, USA, but moved as a young boy to Lebanon where he learned to play tennis. He then moved back to the United States to boost his tennis career and sees himself as a representative of the will of the Lebanese people.
“I know it’s just a sport, but I feel strongly about representing Lebanon and sacrificing everything I had to do to get here, it’s a bit reminiscent of how our nation has fought back,” Habib told Australia’s SBS News earlier this week.
“Hopefully we will find peace”
Habib’s rise as a tennis player has come at the same time as the war in the region that began with the Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The next day, Lebanese Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in which part of the war claimed more than 4,000 casualties and a fragile ceasefire was concluded on November 23 last year .
– Every morning when I woke up during that difficult time, all my family members and friends contacted me, to make sure they were okay. I’m glad it’s calmed down now. Hopefully we will find some peace, said Habib.