SPOTLIGHT
Hot Shot in the House
Stefan Bojic, the freestyle tennis pioneer, returns to MWTC to entertain fans with his spectacular trick shots The 13th Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) has a lot on offer for tennis enthusiasts: an amazing line-up of prolific and upcoming pro tennis stars, a platform for the country’s most talented amateur players, tennis clinics and the Tennis Village. Tennis fans will also see Stefan Bojic, considered the world’s first and most popular tennis trick-shotter, return to MWTC. Bojic, who has more than 152,000 followers on Instagram and over 168,800 followers on TikTok, has made a name for himself in the world of tennis. He has been featured in commercials for leading sports brands, performed in front of tennis greats Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic and travelled all over the world to showcase his unique skills. Bojic, who was born in Serbia, played competitive tennis in his earlier days. He won the Serbian Under 16 national championships before moving to New York, where he played for St. John’s College. In 2014, Bojic began experimenting with freestyle tennis as a way to reignite his passion for the sport and enjoy its less competitive, but more “fun” side. He said: “It all started with me wanting to explore what can be done with a tennis racket and ball besides just playing tennis as a sport. “I pride myself on being the person who started freestyle tennis. I did not invent all of the tricks, but
I made them presentable, interesting and exciting. I believe there’s huge potential for freestyle tennis to come into its own and be recognised all over the world.” Bojic is happy to be returning to MWTC because he loves the championship’s amazing atmosphere. He said: “The tournament has an amazing lineup every year, and this year’s is one of the best I’ve seen so far.” Bojic is also excited about interacting with the players and fans so closely. “There are only few matches held a day and regardless of the match you attend, you know you’ll be seeing top-ranked players. The tennis stars are also there for their fans. The setting is a lot more personal, and that is what’s amazing about MWTC. Of course, the weather’s nice in December, so you can’t go wrong with that.” CATCH STEF’S MAGIC MOVES ON:
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Abu Dhabi | December 28-30, 2017 37 M U BA DA L A WO R L D T E N N I S C H A M P I 0 N S H I P 37
