Angela Sharma is a 20-year-old Nepali tennis player who is very enthusiastic about coaching other people who want to learn how to play tennis. As she continues to learn the sport herself, she has started coaching women and kids in Qatar.
She has formed a group called Seasonal Fun Tennis Events and is going to hold a three-hour-long coaching session coupled with different social activities at Oasis Tennis Club on January 19. The session will start at 3pm and continue till 7pm.
All lessons will include technique training along with health and fitness exercises and recreational socialising activities. There will be three groups –kids aged four and above, women, and mothers with children less than 10 years.
Seasonal Fun Tennis Events’ vision is to make tennis accessible to all. The mission of the group is to join progressive tennis techniques with health and fitness training.
“This is going to be the first mass coaching session for tennis in Qatar. The fee is not very high. I am charging only for the tennis court fee that I have to pay to the club. Tennis coaching is very expensive all around the world and only a few can afford it. I see a lot of people taking interest in the sport, but they cannot afford to learn and play it. I am going to give them an opportunity especially to women and kids,” Sharma told Community.
About response of the people to her planned session, she said, “I have been coaching some women individually. I see good number of people taking interest. Individually, I charge more but after seeing the interest in general, I have planned to have a big session. I have not advertised much as it has only been on social media or through word of mouth. But I expect a large number of women and kids. It is not going to be a coaching session only. It is going to be fun.”
When asked to share her background as a tennis player, Sharma said, “I have been in Qatar since 2016. I have taken part in different tennis tournaments in Qatar. I have won two Oasis Beach Tournaments in 2017 so far for the mix doubles category. I got the best female player award of the tournament. I also took part in Al Majed tournament organised by Qatar Tennis Federation. I have played Filipino Tennis League tournaments as a guest player. I am learning and am improving as a player and want to excel at professional level. I also take my coaching classes regularly from professional players here.
“I was born in Nepal and went to a boarding school in India. At the school, I was always good at different sports. I also captained my school’s sport team. At school, I also used to coach fellow students about different sports. I took part in many tournaments in India as a tennis player. I won school-level championships for five straight years (from 2010 to 2015). I was a runner-up in Almora district [competition] of Uttrakhand state in the year 2011. I also participated and played in Under-19 state level tennis championships in India. I took part in an international tennis tournament in Nepal for Under-16,” she added.
About her experience in Qatar, Sharma said, “I live here with my family. My father runs a restaurant. My mother is an English teacher. My elder brother works in a private company. I also work as an administrative assistant. As I am also a dancer, I have worked for some time as a dance instructor for kids.
“Qatar is a safe and family-friendly place to live in. I love how Qatar accepts expats. I have made many friends through tennis and would like to make it accessible to many others who want to learn the sport as a recreational activity or a healthy workout.”
Sara Khorasani is from Iran and Sharma’s first student in Qatar. She said, “Angela is the perfect mix of tough and kind. She pushes you to improve your skills and fitness while bringing you secret snacks to treat you after the lesson. She is a highly skilled coach, explains everything perfectly, spots your mistakes and just makes the lesson a lot of fun. I love her as my tennis coach.”
BIG DREAMS: Angela Sharma has played in a number of tournaments already and hopes to grow as a professional player.
