Big hitting Czech superstar Tomas Berdych will swing into Abu Dhabi on Monday 15th October to officially launch this year’s Mubadala’s Tennis in Schools and Community Cup initiatives at the Zayed Sports City, as excitement builds up across the UAE for the fifth Mubadala World Tennis Championship this New Year.

Having been announced to play in this year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship alongside fellow stars Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, and Janko Tipsarevic, Berdych, the current world number six, will host a series of interactive clinics to share his skills, experience and passion directly with children and PE teachers from schools across the country.

Speaking from China on the launch of the Mubadala Community initiatives Tomas Berdych said:
“When I made my debut two years ago at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship I saw for myself the genuine commitment across the community to support the growth of tennis. I enjoyed the tournament, especially seeing the energy of the young fans, so I’m excited to be invited back to Abu Dhabi to introduce more young players to the game and share my experience with the city’s coaches. Tennis has been a big part of my life from a very young age so it is always special for me to help those taking their first steps in the game. Who knows - hopefully one day some can follow in the footsteps of myself, Rafa, Novak and Andy into the world’s top ten.”

Berdych’s special appearance in Abu Dhabi will kick-start the expanded Mubadala Tennis in Schools program, a unique community initiative developed by the tournament organizers and supported by Mubadala to introduce tennis to children of all ages. For many young children in Abu Dhabi, the opportunity to play and train in the sport will be a new experience. The program provides expert coaching and free Wilson mini-tennis equipment while promoting the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Amina Taher, Head of Community Engagement at Mubadala explained:
“These community initiatives are at the very heart of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and last year 14,000 children were introduced to tennis for the very first time. This year we plan to expand on this, not only in terms of more opportunities for children to play through the introduction of new after schools sessions but also through the use of inspirational figures such as Tomas.”

“Regardless of skill, age or ambition Mubadala wants to help all children make the most of their talents and make sport an enjoyable part of their daily life. We believe that by sharing time with someone like Tomas the experience will go far beyond expert tennis tuition and inspire Abu Dhabi’s children to live healthy and active lives.”

The schools tennis program recognizes that helping younger children grasp the basic techniques starts with PE teachers and so this year’s launch will see Berdych also conduct a coaching clinic for PE teachers from schools across the country. A further new addition this year is the introduction of six consecutive ‘After School Sessions’ for all children participating in the program. The free sessions at Zayed Sports City aim to give children a chance to build on their tennis skills outside of school.

Speaking ahead of the arrival of Tomas Berdych, John Lickrish, FLASH Entertainment said:
“By introducing a world class player such as Tomas to children in Abu Dhabi this early on we’re giving a new generation an incredible opportunity to learn, play and enjoy tennis alongside an ideal role model. There is no other tournament in the world that enables youngsters to share such precious moments with their tennis heroes and we hope that this will create ever-lasting memories and a new love of tennis. I’ve no doubt when Tomas returns to Centre Court for our tournament he’ll have a few more young fans supporting him.”

Having coached kids and teachers from the Mubadala Tennis in Schools Program, Berdych will complete an action packed day in Abu Dhabi on court with last year’s winners of the Mubadala Community Cup competition. The aspiring hopefuls will enjoy a once in a lifetime coaching opportunity, absorbing some key training tips from the Czech legend as they prepare for the 2012 Community Cup which kicks off on 9th November in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The Mubadala Community Cup gives local tennis fanatics the chance to experience the thrill of a competitive tournament with an exclusive spot in a tennis clinic up for grabs. Registration for this year’s Mubadala Community Cup is now open, so all tennis fans eight years and over are encouraged to sign up now at www.mubadalawtc.com to avoid disappointment. Entry is free and the champions of each age group will win a once in a lifetime opportunity to join an exclusive tennis clinic hosted by a tennis superstar at this year’s tournament.

Six of the world’s top ten players will compete for the title in Abu Dhabi with latest Grand Slam winner and world number 3 Andy Murray joined by Mubadala World Tennis Championship defending champion and world number 2 Novak Djokovic, world number 4 Rafael Nadal, world number 5 David Ferrer and world number 6 Tomas Berdych alongside a debut appearance from Serbian superstar and world number 9 Janko Tipsarevic.

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship runs from 27th December to 29st December 2012 and tickets are available at www.thinkflash.ae or call 800 FLASH (35274).

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