Egyptian tennis ace Mohamed Safwat is another tennis player to make history for Egypt in the sport. The 29-year-old recently managed to get closer to breaking into the top 100 of the ATP rankings. Safwat became the first Egyptian tennis player since Ismail El-Shafei in 1978 to feature in the main round of the famous Australian Open, one of the world’s major Grand Slam events in the sport.

The Egyptian had booked his place in the main round after winning his qualifying match against Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy, the world number 106.

Currently ranked 172 in the ATP rankings, Safwat revealed to media that his achievement would serve as a good push for him to pursue his ambition, saying “I can believe I can play at this level consistently, and that I have the level to compete in the top 100. I think it will give me a boost along this year.”

It has been a busy and tough year for Safwat, who has worked so hard to improve his performance, results, and rankings. Actually, it has been a challenging decade for him as his main goal was to overtake the only other men’s Egyptian tennis player to ever rank in the top 100, El-Shafei. He is finally close to his target, and he hopes he can do it this season.

Speaking to The National, Safwat said, “I took a different path than the generation before me. I committed to what I do. I didn’t give up on my dreams. I had a rough time throughout the years, ups and downs and frustration and sadness, but thankfully, I was always surrounded by the right people.”