THERE is a memorable feel to the CEO Celebrity Charity Tennis 2012 tournament as Datin Intan Mahani Abdul Halim makes a return to the event that set her on the road to her comeback two years ago.
The former national No 1, who is the first Malaysian to make an impact on the WTA tour when she made the fourth round of the Virginia Slims Open in the United States in 1990, just missing out on the quarterfinals.
In 2010, the mother of six decided to make a return to competitive tennis following a 17-year hiatus, after she had enjoyed playing in the CEO Celebrity Charity Tennis tournament that year.
Now 41 and still able to compete with the youngsters in open tournaments, Intan Mahani picks and chooses the tournaments she enters, with the Port Dickson Open next weekend being one of those, as it is hosted in her home state.
Now residing in Penang, Intan Mahani is also determined to develop all her children into world class tennis players.
"Now, most of my time is focused on my children. My three sons are based in Thailand to train and compete, and they'll all soon be leaving for the United States to further their careers in tennis," said Intan Mahan
Though the CEO Celebrity Charity Tennis is more of a casual tournament, it did enough to whet her appetite for more of the sport the last time out.
"Since then, I've won the National Masters championship and I made the quarterfinals of the PTT Thailand Open in the doubles," said Intan Mahani, who still looks to her first coach Azam Baba for guidance.
Her visit to Balai Berita yesterday was accompanied by her second son, Muhd Shuhaib Munir, 14, who apart from sparring with his mother, will be her mixed doubles partner in the Port Dickson Open.
Muhd Shuhaib's elder brother Putra Asyraf, 19, and younger brother Mohd Adyl, 11, are also competitive juniors looking to make a breakthrough on the international stage.
"Mohd Adyl is now ranked second in the Thai junior tour. We have three coaches working with them. And now, I'm already starting to train my three- and four-year-old daughters," said Intan Mahani, who won three of the five matches she played in the 2010 CEO Celebrity Charity Tennis. By Arnaz M. Khairul
