Paris, France, July 26, 2024: The Olympic dream has come true for Lebanese tennis player Hady Habib – and that’s even before he’s stepped on court at the famous Roland-Garros in Paris.
Habib, 25, has been drawn to play Spain’s four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles first round on Saturday, July 27.
“Originally, I was supposed to play doubles with Benjamin Hassan,” he said, after training on Friday. “On Wednesday, I heard I got in as an alternate in singles. And the day after that I'm drawn to play Carlos Alcaraz! So this has been an interesting five days for me. Very special.”
Habib, who was born in Houston, Texas, will become the first athlete to represent Lebanon in tennis at the Olympic Games.
“I've been filled with emotions, excitement, a little bit of nerves, but it's good. I'm really excited to get this opportunity to play, represent Lebanon.
“I was just happy to be an Olympian - and now I'm playing Alcaraz on Suzanne-Lenglen,” he added, referring to the name of the court. “I'm so happy and stoked, and ready and excited to play.”
Habib recalled how he was picked to play for Lebanon in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“That was a shock. I was at the practice courts. I got the email and I was surprised, happy, at the same time,” he said.
“I was, 'OK, I'm going to play doubles and be an Olympian with Benjamin'. And now I get singles. All this happened so fast. It's just been amazing. Life can just change in an instant. You could say it's a fairy tale.
“Coming from Lebanon, such a small country, to be able to play such a player on a big stage. I've been receiving so much support from everyone. My phone's been blowing up, everyone's super happy and wishing me luck. It's super special.”
His first visit to Roland-Garros, home of the French Open clay court championship, was extra special, too.
“The first day I arrived, obviously everything is new for me. So I was walking around a little bit lost just opening a door and going in somewhere. I was just trying to figure out where everything is.
“When I walked in the gym the first day, I saw Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic… and I was just, 'Wow, this has to be a dream. Someone wake me up'."