Bahraini Women at a Saudi Tennis Event: How to Get Into the Game

A Gulf moment for women's tennis

The Al Khobar event was a modest one — the Daily Tribune reported a 22-player field run as a round-robin on the Universal Tennis Rating system, with four Bahraini pairs taking part. Among them was Jameela Al Nashaba, a Bahrain Tennis Federation board member and chair of its Women's Committee, who said that facing competitors from different countries and backgrounds helps players sharpen technique and tactics and cope with different match situations.

Zoom out and the direction of travel is clear. Riyadh hosted the season-ending WTA Finals — the biggest event in women's tennis — in 2024 and 2025, and the WTA says its partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation reached more than 30,000 people through coaching workshops for women, training for PE teachers and participation programmes for girls. For women in Bahrain who have ever wondered whether tennis is "for them," the answer on show across the Gulf is a loud yes.

Why tennis is worth picking up

Beyond the fun of it, tennis is one of the most health-protective sports there is. The International Tennis Federation, citing research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, reports that tennis is linked to about 9.7 more years of life expectancy, and that racket sports are associated with a 47% lower risk of death from any cause and a 59% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The ITF also links tennis to better aerobic fitness, a leaner body composition, stronger bones and lower diabetes and heart-disease risk. Those are associations from population studies rather than promises — but they make a strong case for a racket and a court.

How to start in Bahrain

You do not need a coach, a club membership or expensive kit on day one. A sensible on-ramp:

1. Book a beginners' session. The Bahrain Tennis Federation and local academies run women's group sessions — start there rather than teaching yourself.
2. Borrow before you buy. Most coaches will lend a racket for the first few lessons, so try before spending.
3. Play with people at your level. Al Nashaba's point cuts both ways — varied opponents help, but early on, rallies you can actually sustain build confidence fastest.
4. Train the body the game needs. This is where the gym earns its place.

The off-court work that makes tennis click

Tennis rewards a specific kind of fitness: quick changes of direction, an explosive first step, a strong core to transfer power into the shot, and single-leg stability to stop and turn without tweaking a knee or ankle. All of it is trainable off the court, and it is the difference between chasing the ball and arriving early.

A simple weekly base for a new player:

• Two short conditioning sessions — our HIIT workouts build the repeat-sprint engine a match demands.
• Footwork and agility drills — the exercise library has the ladder, lateral and change-of-direction patterns that carry straight onto court.
• Simple strength — squats, lunges, hinges and core, ideally with a personal trainer to check form and keep it progressing.
• A comfortable place to train — a ladies-only gym makes it easy to start without self-consciousness.

Do that for a few weeks and your first proper rallies will feel completely different. The game rewards the player who prepared for it.

Serve Up Your First Session

Bahrain's women are showing what is possible on court — and the fitness that supports it starts in the gym. Build the agility, strength and stamina tennis loves, then take them onto the court with confidence. Join GymNation today and start training for the game you have been meaning to try.

Sources:
newsofbahrain.com
itftennis.com
wtatennis.com

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.