Santoro and Kira Nagy, head coach at the resort, treated a group of children to a tennis lesson. Kira is a former professional tennis player from Hungary.

Santoro is in Dubai on invitation from Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman, Al Habtoor Group. The retired French player had a long professional tennis career and holds several ATP records – including having the most appearances in a singles competition at Grand Slam events (70) and he is the only male player to have appeared in Grand Slam singles competitions spanning over four decades (from the 1989 French Open to the 2010 Australian Open).

Santoro earned six single titles in his career; including two Grand Slam doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed-doubles title.

He is known for his cheeky attitude on and off the court, and for his unique and innovative style of play where he uses both his left and right hand, earning him the nickname of ‘The Magician’.

Al Habtoor said, “It is lovely to see Fabrice in Dubai. The tennis clinic was a great opportunity for children to get valuable advice from a well-known tennis professional who had a very long career on the tennis circuit.”

Al Habtoor is a strong advocate of tennis. He created the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, which is now into its 15th year, to encourage the development of women’s tennis in the UAE. The tournament was the first professional ladies tennis event in the region and has attracted top players over the years and kick-started the careers of other well-known players like former world number one Jelena Jankovic, Victoria Azarenka, Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams & Maria Kirilenko.