Get to know Hady Habib: A trailblazer at the Australian Open tennis tournament

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Hady Habib has made history, becoming the first Lebanese player in professional tennis’ Open Era to reach a men’s singles main draw at a Grand Slam.

Habib celebrated an emotional victory after defeating Frenchman Clement Chidekh in three sets in the Australian Open’s final qualifying round on Thursday.

It wasn’t an easy path for Habib, taking the match to the tiebreak in all three of his qualifying clashes.

He was visibly emotional upon winning match point, with Lebanese flags visible among the crowd.

In a country still picking up the pieces from and years of economic turmoil, Lebanon’s diaspora is scrambling to find inspiration in unlikely places.

Habib is proving to be a symbol of that in Melbourne, with the world number 216 now set to play in the tournament’s first round next week.

Habib earned himself guaranteed entry into the Open’s qualifying round after he blitzed through a prestigious ATP Challenger tournament in Chile.

“It was a historic moment for Lebanese tennis … and I just felt so much joy. I got a little emotional after I won,” Habib told SBS News last week.

‘Our nation has fought back’

The 26-year-old, who was born in Texas, moved to Lebanon when he was six and learned how to play tennis there. After falling in love with the sport, he later returned to the US to pursue it professionally.

“I know it’s just a sport, but I feel like representing Lebanon and sacrificing all the things I had to do to get here, it kind of resembles how our nation has fought back,” Habib said.

His Argentinian coach, Patricio Heras, said the win in Chile back in November was “very emotional”.

“It’s been honestly a rollercoaster … I think he pushed really hard,” Heras told SBS News.

A man wearing a black Nike T-shirt and a cap and a blue lanyard smiles while sitting in a tennis stand.

Patricio Heras (pictured), himself a former professional tennis player, has been coaching Habib in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Source: SBS News

Habib will be joined by Benjamin Hassan in next week’s draw — a German-born player who also represents Lebanon and made it to the qualifiers last year.

“It’s very exciting to also have another Lebanese player here. We’re going to be cheering for each other … people back home are going to be watching and rooting for us, and I think it’s great to motivate the younger generation in Lebanon,” Habib said.

‘My heart’s just shattered’

It was the 2024 Paris Olympics that first put Habib on the map. He was up against one of the best players in the world in the first round of the men’s singles draw: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Despite putting up a good fight, he went down in straight sets.

“It was such an amazing experience playing the best in the world that week, I probably got more support than I have my entire life playing tennis,” he said.

Last year came with several challenges for Habib and his team, including the Israel-Hezbollah conflict which amplified in October, killing more than 3,800 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities at the time of the ceasefire agreement in late November.

More than one million people were displaced, and tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed.

“Every morning, I was waking up during that challenging time, I was contacting all my family members, my friends, making sure they’re okay,” Habib said.