Abdullah Shelbayh: Promise, Pressure, and Perseverance

by Kelley Busby

Contributor To WorldTennisMagazine.com

For Jordan, Abdullah “Aboud” Shelbayh’s tennis journey has already made history. He’s the first Jordanian—and the youngest Arab player ever—to reach the final of a Challenger Tour event, doing so in February 2023, and breaking into the world’s top 300 within a few months of turning professional. In fact, Shelbayh is the first Jordanian to ever achieve a world ATP singles ranking.

His story began with vision—first from his father, who introduced him to tennis, and later from a Jordanian princess. As a teenager, Princess Lara Faisal invited Toni Nadal—uncle and longtime coach of Rafael Nadal—to Jordan to see whether Shelbayh had the potential to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca. Toni was impressed, describing him as a player with “real feel for the ball and a natural left-handed rhythm.” Perhaps he saw glimpses of his legendary nephew, who created a topspin-sidespin rhythm of his own after switching to playing with his left hand. Inspired by Rafa years before, Aboud made the same unusual switch from right-handed to left-handed play himself.

After that life-changing visit, he earned a scholarship to the academy, where he began to develop discipline and a professional mindset, some of which came directly from his idol. Aboud recounts, “Rafa asked me to hit with him when I was 14 and seemed to take an interest in my game. I consider him a mentor and am so grateful for his perspective and encouraging words.”

Rafael Nadal once told him: “Work well every day. You have the talent to become a great player. If you really want to do it … you will do it.”

Aboud’s rise continued into the spring and summer of 2023, scoring wins against four top 100 players. He again made history winning the Charleston Challenger title, with none other than Carlos Alcaraz the first to congratulate him via text. Not long after, he got to know Tunisian and former world No. 2 Ons Jabeur, also the highest ranking player from the Arab world. Known as one of the friendliest players on tour, it’s not surprising to learn that Ons offered to hit with Aboud when he was struggling to get on an indoor court during a rain delay at the Australian Open, where he was playing qualifying. She was there too when he went down in the last round, the pressure and expectations of a country who had never had a player compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam proving too much for the then 20-year-old.

Aboud shared after reaching the semifinal of the Tiburon Challenger last Friday, “Ons talked about nerves also getting the best of her in that tough 2023 Wimbledon final which of course I watched on TV. (Ons she had her ‘most painful loss’ against Markéta Vondroušová after defeating four major singles champions en route). While playing in Melbourne, I kept thinking ahead to being in my first Grand Slam main draw match instead of taking care of what was in front of me.” When asked about his current goals, Aboud said he just wants to try and reach his full potential and not focus on specific milestones.

That sounds like a good plan coming from a 22 year old who went from a 13-match losing streak this past spring to a recent eight-match winning streak, including a second Challenger title in Las Vegas last month.

For Jordan, the legacy Shelbayh is just beginning to build involves both his wins and his struggles (he’s gone from No. 181 to No. 427 and back to No. 305). Surely the coming years will bring more fluctuations, but his presence already marks a turning point for Jordanian tennis—one that signals the country can produce competitors who know both how to strive and how to endure.