Zara in action during her singles match on Tuesday. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (April 22): National junior player Zara Iris Safiyyah Firman Nawadzir began her campaign at the ITF World Junior Tennis (WJT) Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying 2026 with a mixture of excitement and pressure as she represents Malaysia on home soil.
The 13-year-old, who is among the country’s top-ranked players in her age group, shared that her journey in tennis began at home, inspired by her father.
“My father introduced me to tennis. He plays socially, and from there I started to play and realised it is a perfect sport for me. I really enjoy playing this sport,” she told reporters after the opening ceremony at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association Centre here on Tuesday.
Zara, who hails from Kuala Lumpur, has been in the national setup for three years.
“I think my family supports most of my activities,” she explained.
But the youngster draws inspiration from some of the sport’s biggest names, citing Justine Henin and Elena Rybakina as her current favourites while also looking up to Roger Federer, the legendary player dubbed the ‘Federer Express’ (‘Fed Ex’).
“I like Roger Federer’s playing style, especially his touch. I try to emulate that because I think it can help me gain more points,” she shared.
Having represented Malaysia in both the Under-12 and Under-14 categories, she acknowledged that the added expectations representing the nation.
“It is an honour to represent Malaysia but there is pressure, especially when you are among the top-ranked players in the country,” she said.
She stressed that greater match exposure is crucial to her development, noting that competing abroad has played a key role in building her experience and confidence.
“I enjoy travelling for tournaments and international exposure has helped me improve.
One of the best places I’ve competed in is Singapore, as the facilities are excellent, clean and safe,” she said.
On the state of tennis development locally, Zara felt that more needs to be done to raise the overall standard.
“I think Malaysia needs to work harder to improve the level,” she opined.
Zara is part of Malaysia’s Under-14 squad competing in the six-day tournament, which brings together 16 nations vying for four qualifying spots in the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov, Czechia later this year.
On Tuesday, Malaysia endured a tough start to their campaign, going down 0-3 to Australia in their opening tie.
Zara fell 2-6, 3-6 to Ayumi Ito in the singles match while teammate Naomi Tan was defeated 0-6, 0-6 by Lara Wu.
In the doubles, Zara teamed up with Dhea Dalisha Sanjay Krishna but the pair went down 0-6, 0-6 to Kira Russell and Ito, sealing a comprehensive win for the visitors.
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