While Qatar wouldn't be a major player in world tennis, the facilities are second to none. The QTF (Qatar Tennis Federation) bases itself in the capital of Qatar, Doha at its main stadium, Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
The centre has 21 courts and seem to be always in use. On arriving I found that, had I brought my rackets with me, I could have entered the 8th QTF and Intercontinental Open. This is an open tournament where the prize fund is 40,000 riyals plus membership to the exclusive Intercontinental hotel. I have being over and back to watch it regularly and there are some very good players in the area.
This event is going to be followed up with 3 ITF Futures events running from the 28th of November to the 19th of December. This promises to provide 3 very entertaining weeks of professional tennis.
These events will be followed, early in the new year, with 2 professional events. There is an ATP event in January which always attracts the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and co. This event will be followed in February with the arrival of the women. The WTA event also attracts a top quality field. Last years final was contested by Safrova and Azarenka. So to say I'm looking forward to the coming months is a bit of an understatement.
I am also looking forward to my rackets arriving so I can start playing again. The surface here is hard court, a surface I grew up on but I haven't played on it in a longtime so that will take a bit of getting used to.
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