Ambitious Aziz Dougaz bids to follow in Malek Jaziri’s footsteps as the Tunisian star fulfils another lifelong dream when he competes in the main draw of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the first time on Monday.
Dougaz, ranked World No216, has worked his way up the tennis pyramid since turning professional in 2020 and qualified for the main draw at a Grand Slam event for the first time at last month’s Australian Open. In doing so, Dougaz became just the second Tunisian male player to feature in a Grand Slam singles main draw match.
The first was of course Jaziri, who called time on his trailblazing 20-year career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2023. Jaziri, one of only five Arab men to make it into the top 50 in the history of the PIF ATP rankings, is a huge source of inspiration for Dougaz, who has received a wildcard for this year’s ATP 500 event in Dubai.
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