Abdullah Shelbayh Explained

Abdullah Shelbayh
Itf Name:Abedallah Shelbayh
Birth Date:2003 11, df=yes
Birth Place:Amman, Jordan
Plays:Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach:Fernando Verdasco, Diego Dinomo[1]
College:University of Florida
Careerprizemoney:$509,010
Singlesrecord:3–11 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Singlestitles:0
Highestsinglesranking:No. 181 (29 January 2024)
Currentsinglesranking:No. 233 (8 April 2024)
Australianopenresult:Q3 (2024)
Frenchopenjuniorresult:1R (2021)
Wimbledonjuniorresult:2R (2021)
Usopenresult:Q2 (2024)
Usopenjuniorresult:2R (2021)
Doublesrecord:0–1 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Doublestitles:0
Highestdoublesranking:No. 290 (8 January 2024)
Currentdoublesranking:No. 369 (8 April 2024)
Frenchopendoublesjuniorresult:1R (2021)
Wimbledondoublesjuniorresult:F (2021)
Usopendoublesjuniorresult:2R (2021)
Team:yes
Daviscupresult:10–1
Updated:9 April 2024

Abedallah Shelbayh (Arabic: عبد الله شلبيه|eabd allah shalabih; (also known as Abdullah Shelbayh (Arabic: عبدالله شلبيه|eabdallah shalabih; born 16 November 2003) is a Jordanian tennis player.

Shelbayh has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 181 achieved on 29 January, 2024, and is the first Jordanian tennis player to achieve an ATP world ranking. He has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 290, achieved on 8 January, 2024. He had a career-high ITF juniors ranking of 27 achieved on 12 July 2021.[2] Shelbayh has won three ITF singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Men's Circuit and one on the ATP Challenger Tour.[3]

Shelbayh represents Jordan at the Davis Cup, where he has a win-loss record of 10–1.[4]

Early life

Shelbayh was introduced to tennis by his father, who was a recreational player. He was training in Jordan until he was 14 years old, switching his tennis play to being left-handed in order to emulate his idol, Rafael Nadal. In 2018, Shelbayh moved to Mallorca to join the Rafa Nadal Academy.[5] Princess Lara Faisal asked Toni Nadal to come to Jordan and see if Shelbayh had what it took to join the academy. Toni Nadal was mesmerized by the money offered by the Jordanians, prompting Faisal to establish the Rise for Good Sports Fund to help Shelbayh and other young Jordanian prospects in sports.[6]

During his last junior tennis year, Shelbayh didn't feel himself on court due to personal issues, and wished to change some things and get out of his comfort zone. He enrolled at the University of Florida for a year and played collegiate tennis. In June 2022, Shelbayh went back to Mallorca to work on turning professional.[6] Shelbayh speaks 3 languages: Arabic, English and Spanish.

Career

2022: Historic maiden Challenger win, Top 500, Turned professional

In September 2022, Shelbayh reached the semifinals of the Manacor Challenger after receiving a wildcard into the main draw, defeating the No. 1 seed and world No. 127 Dominic Stricker in his opening match. He became the first player from Jordan to win a match in ATP Challenger Tour history. Following this run, Shelbayh made his debut in the world's top 500.[7]

On December 1, 2022, after one year as part of the Florida Gators men's tennis team at the University of Florida, Shelbayh announced that he would forego his remaining collegiate eligibility in order to turn professional.[8] The following week, Shelbayh won his third ITF singles title in Trnava, Slovakia, defeating Daniel Rincón in the final.

On December 28, 2022, Shelbayh won the second edition of the Arab Masters Tennis Tournament, held in Kuwait City, defeating Benjamin Hassan in the final.[9] In addition to prize money of $25,000, the win gave Shelbayh a wildcard to compete in the main draw of the 2023 Qatar Open in Doha.

2023: Historic maiden Challenger final & title, ATP win, Masters & top 200 debuts

In February, Shelbayh qualified for the 2023 Tenerife Challenger III. He defeated Salvatore Caruso in his opening main draw match, before losing to Ryan Peniston in the second round. The following week, Shelbayh reached his second career semifinal on the ATP Challenger Tour at the 2023 Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger, defeating the No. 1 seed and world No. 79 Jason Kubler in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he again defeated lucky loser Salvatore Caruso, becoming the first Jordanian player in history and the youngest Arab to reach a final at Challenger level. Shelbayh was defeated by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the final. As a result of this run, Shelbayh moved up more than 120 positions in ranking, entering the top 300 for the first time at world No. 276 on 20 February 2023.[10]

Shelbayh made his ATP Tour-level main draw debut at the 2023 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where he received a wildcard. He lost to Kwon Soon-woo in the first round in three sets.

In April, Shelbayh won his first doubles title at Challenger level at the 2023 Murcia Open, partnering Daniel Rincón. The pair received entry into the doubles draw as alternates. He then qualified for the Banja Luka Open in Bosnia and Herzegovina, having received an alternate spot in the qualifying competition. He beat fellow qualifier Elias Ymer in straight sets in the first round, becoming the first Jordanian player to win an ATP Tour-level match.[11] [12] Shelbayh received a wildcard at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open, where he made his Masters 1000 debut. He lost to Pedro Cachin in the opening round.

In October, Shelbayh played in Charleston, where he beat Mark Lajal, Brandon Holt, Ethan Quinn and Ryan Peniston to reach his second Challenger final. He defeated wildcard Oliver Crawford to become the first Jordanian player to win a Challenger title. In November, he qualified for the 2023 Moselle Open in Metz, France, where he defeated Hugo Gaston in the first round, registering his first tour-level win on a hard court and the second of his season and career. As a result, Shelbayh broke into the top 200 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.[13] He lost in the second round to defending champion Lorenzo Sonego.

In November, Shelbayh was announced as the wildcard entry into the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals. [14]

ATP Performance Timelines

Singles

Current through the 2024 Miami Open.

Tournament202220232024SRW–LWin%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAQ30 / 00–0
French OpenAAA0 / 00–0
WimbledonAAA0 / 00–0
US OpenAA0 / 00–0
style=text-align:leftWin–loss0–00–00–00 / 00–0
ATP Masters 1000
Indian Wells MastersAAA0 / 00–0
Miami OpenAQ1A0 / 00–0
Monte-Carlo MastersAA0 / 00–0
Madrid OpenA1R0 / 10–1
Italian OpenAA0 / 00–0
Canadian OpenAA0 / 00–0
Cincinnati MastersAA0 / 00–0
Shanghai MastersNHA0 / 00–0
Paris MastersAA0 / 00–0
style=text-align:leftWin–loss0–00–10–00 / 10–1
Career statistics
202220232024Career
Tournaments08210
style=text-align:leftTitles 0000
style=text-align:leftFinals0000
style=text-align:leftOverall win–loss0–03–80–23–10
Year-end ranking470195

ATP Challenger and Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour finals

Singles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Legend (singles)
ATP Challenger Tour (1–1)
Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour (3–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (4–2)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0M15 Monastir, TunisiaWorld Tennis TourHard Daniel Rincón2–1 ret.
Win2–0M15 Monastir, TunisiaWorld Tennis TourHard Skander Mansouri7–6(7–3), 6–4
Win3–0M15 Trnava, SlovakiaWorld Tennis TourHard (i) Daniel Rincón6–1, 6–4
Loss3–1M25 Manacor, SpainWorld Tennis TourHard Daniel Rincón6–7(0–7), 6–3, 6–7(9–11)
Loss3–2Manama, BahrainChallengerHard Thanasi Kokkinakis1–6, 4–6
Win4–2Charleston, USAChallengerHard Oliver Crawford6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–3

Doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Legend (doubles)
ATP Challenger Tour (2–0)
Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour (2–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–2)
Clay (3–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0M15 Valldoreix, SpainWorld Tennis TourClay Pedro Vives Marcos Holger Rune
Eric Vanshelboim
7–5, 6–3
Loss1–1M15 Monastir, TunisiaWorld Tennis TourHard Pedro Vives Marcos Arthur Bouquier
Santiago Rodríguez Taverna
7–6(7–2), 3–6, [6–10]
Win2–1M15 Naples, United StatesWorld Tennis TourClay Bruno Kuzuhara Johannes Ingildsen
Duarte Vale
6–4, 6–1
Loss2–2M15 Trnava, SlovakiaWorld Tennis TourHard (i) Coleman Wong Daniel Rincón
Daniel Vallejo
4–6, 2–6
Win3–2Murcia, SpainChallengerClay Daniel Rincón Sergio Martos Gornés
Marco Bortolotti
7–6(7–3), 6–4
Win4–2Canberra, AustraliaChallenger Hard Daniel Rincón André Göransson
Albano Olivetti
7–6(7–4), 6–3

Junior Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shelbayh meets Bellingham, Kroos & Vini Jr. at Real Madrid practice; Jordanian reflects on memorable experience arranged by new coach Verdasco. 6 April 2024.
  2. Web site: Abedallah Shelbayh profile on the ITF. ITF. 2 September 2021. 5 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230405111016/https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/abedallah-shelbayh/800449348/jor/jt/s/overview/. live.
  3. Web site: Abedallah Shelbayh profile on the ATP. ATP. 30 July 2022. 4 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404102827/https://www.atptour.com/en/players/abedallah-shelbayh/s0nv/player-activity?year=2022&matchType=Singles. live.
  4. News: Abedallah Shelbayh. Davis Cup. 3 September 2022. 8 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230508215718/https://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800449348. live.
  5. Web site: THE ROYAL CONNECTION THAT HELPED JORDAN'S SHELBAYH MAKE IT ON TOUR. 2023-11-10. 2023-11-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110091358/https://www.nextgenatpfinals.com/en/news/challenger-tour-abdullah-shelbayh-feature-2023. live.
  6. Web site: The meteoric rise of Jordanian teen Abdullah Shelbayh. Arab News. Reem. Abulleil. 20 March 2023. 18 April 2023. 30 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530170003/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2271866/tennis. live.
  7. Web site: Archived copy . 2023-04-19 . 2023-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230419221031/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/abdullah-shelbayh-atp-challenger-tour-feature-2022 . live .
  8. Web site: Abedallah Shelbayh Turns Professional. Florida Gators. 8 December 2022. 4 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404175445/https://floridagators.com/news/2022/12/1/mens-tennis-abedallah-shelbayh-turns-professional. live.
  9. Web site: Jordan's Shelbayh Wins Arab Masters In Kuwait. MENAFN. 29 December 2022. 2 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230102105637/https://menafn.com/1105363439/Jordans-Shelbayh-Wins-Arab-Masters-In-Kuwait. live.
  10. Web site: Kokkinakis Collects Manama Challenger Crown; Finalist Shelbayh Makes History. 2023-02-25. 2023-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315063400/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/challenger-tour-kokkinakis-purcell-zeppieri-titles-2023. live.
  11. Web site: Lajovic Ousts Fellow Serbian Krajinovic In Banja Luka. 2024-02-02. 2024-02-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20240202022414/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/monfils-lehecka-lajovic-banja-luka-2023-tuesday. live.
  12. Web site: Bouncing From Barcelona To Banja Luka, Abdullah Shelbayh Creates History. 2023-04-19. 2023-04-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20230419020727/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shelbayh-banja-luka-2023-feature. live.
  13. Web site: Archived copy . 2023-11-08 . 2023-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231212075409/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/metz-2023-tuesday . live .
  14. Web site: 8 November 2023. Fils, Stricker, Van Assche & Cobolli Qualify For Next Gen ATP Finals. 8 November 2023. Next Generation ATP Finals. 5 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240105061712/https://www.nextgenatpfinals.com/en/news/next-gen-atp-finals-2023-qualifications. live.