Roxburgh Park young tennis star, Saalim Naser and his teammates Riley Dumsday and Benjamin Wenzel won the 2022 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Vilamoura, Portugal on May 9.
The Australian trio snagged the team title with a 2-1 victory against top seeds Great Britain in the final.
The youngster trained rigorously in the lead up to the tournament where he qualified to compete overseas and was selected by Tennis Australia to play.
His mother, Dalya Elbably said a great deal of work was involved.
“He trains three days a week with Tennis Australia and he’s had the same coach for the last eight or nine years so they’ve worked hard for that win,” she said.
“It was amazing for him to finish off his last year in juniors with a win.”
Saalim was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly.
However, he didn’t allow his disability to stop him from pursuing his dreams.
His interest in the sport piqued from watching his brother play and years later, at nine-years-old, Saalim decided to take up the sport too.
The 18-year-old was “very happy” with his win.
“I’m proud to represent Australia and honoured to have had that opportunity,” he said.
This was Saalim’s last year playing as a junior and hopes to play professionally in the near future.
“I definitely hope to play in the Australian Open one day and do lots more traveling overseas with my tennis,” Saalim said.
Helena Abdou
