Of the 40 countries represented at Paris 2024 Olympics men's tennis event, Lebanon is the only one with no prior representation in the field.
But last month, Benjamin Hassan was notified that he would have the honour of becoming one of the first tennis players to represent Lebanon in the Olympics, alongside countryman Hady Habib, whom faces four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.
The 29-year-old Hassan is among the field of 64 singles players via a ‘University Place’, which awards one spot, in both men’s and women’s, to nations that are under-represented in the Olympic Games. He will also partner Habib in doubles.
“When I first heard it, I couldn’t believe it. It was unbelievable for me because it was very spontaneous,” Hassan told ATPTour.com. “I heard before that they have some spots for players, but I wasn’t sure what kind of rule it was or if I could use that. I asked my Federation if they can check and they told me, ‘Look Benjamin, we are very late. Probably not going to work out.’
“I thought, ‘Okay, there’s no chance, but at least I tried.’ I think a few days before the Stuttgart [ATP 250] tournament, I got the information. I was really happy.”
[ATP APP]To understand how Hassan has reached this point takes revisiting his past. Hassan’s father, Zaki, fled the Lebanon War in the early 1980s and emigrated to Germany, where he later met his wife, Fadia, who also is from Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.
Though Benjamin was born and raised in Germany, he also holds Lebanese citizenship. He has proudly represented Lebanon in Davis Cup action since 2018.
“Lebanon is a very beautiful country. Very small. You have the mountains where you can ski, you have the beach, you can do it all in one day, a two hour drive. You have perfect nightlife, amazing food. I enjoy it every time I go there,” said Hassan, who faces Christopher Eubanks in the opening round of the Olympics.
One of 10 Lebanese athletes in the Paris Olympic Games, Hassan developed a passion for tennis alongside his father, a former Davis Cup player from the Middle Eastern country. Despite Hassan's early dreams of a professional tennis career, he faced challenges as a teenager, finding it difficult to dedicate himself fully to the sport.
“I think from 13 to 22, it was not in my mind anymore. I was studying in Germany, I really didn’t have it in my mind. I was a hobby player who played once a week just for fun,” Hassan said. “When I was a teenager, I was not interested in becoming a professional tennis player. It just didn’t catch me. I don’t know what it was, but I was really not into it.
“I was playing for fun with friends. I didn’t practise, didn’t do fitness, this kind of stuff. For that amount of practice, I was still really good, but far away from competing in professional tennis. Then I came back at 22.”
The one-time ‘hobby player’ can now officially call himself an Olympian. One month removed from hitting his career-high No. 143 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the three-time ATP Challenger Tour finalist credits that minor-league-esque level as a key stepping stone to where he is today.
“End of 2017, 2018, I started with Futures. I played very well from the beginning, two finals, won a title. And I had the ranking around 400, 500. I wanted to go directly to Challengers. It took me a lot of years to adapt to that level because the level was so good. I had tough matches there,” Hassan said.
“I just remember struggling for a long time because the level was too good for me, even though I won Futures. You can see so many good guys in the Top 100 now who played a lot of Challengers and are still playing Challengers. The level is not that far from what we see on television.”
This month’s trip to Paris will already be memorable for Hassan, who hopes his parents and some of his four siblings can make the trip from Germany. And should a chance come to train with one of the sport’s superstars, it would only add to this exclusive trip of a lifetime.
“I’ve never in my career practised with the big names like Alcaraz, Nadal, Djokovic, Zverev,” said Hassan. “I’ve seen them a lot at tournaments, but I’ve never practised with them. I would like to this time.”
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