Mohammed Audah - In the midst of a year-long tennis sabbatical

Wow, we caught up with Mohammed Audah and his tennis story is wild!  

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm in the middle of a year-long tennis sabbatical. Basically, I'm on leave so I can just play tennis all day. I got so obsessed with tennis two years ago that I think I might have watched every instructional video out there, so now I coach other people who didn't grow up playing. If you see me playing (backward cap and all), you'll also see me smiling. Oh and also, next time I play SJ I'm 100% going to win more than 2 games.  

Which league are you a member of? 

TennisDC with the cool kids.

How long have you participated in your league?

On and off from 2016 (*gulp* getting old-er).

How did you first learn about it? 

Rallying at Banneker Rec Center.

How often do you play? 

Almost every day.

What do you like most about the league? 

The community I've built around it.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es): 

I looked back at my starred matches and it seems like I really enjoy when I win 6-0 6-0 so go figure. I loved beating Alexis Toussaint (1-6 6-4 14-12) because I lost 0-6 1-6 the previous time we'd played, so my redemption tour was complete (think Roger at AO only much slower and fatter). 

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

I usually like the Nadal-Gasquet type of rivalries in which I never lose, but I'll begrudingly say Brian Seliber cause I'm 0-7 (1-0 in non-tennis DC matches so take that Brian). It's almost (almost!) amusing cause no matter how much I improve it's now in my head. 

How did you get started playing tennis? 

I really really got into it at the start of COVID and now it's an essential part of who I am. 

Do you play to compete, or for fun?

Both. It's an exploration of mind and body for me. It's taught me so much about my self that all aspects of the sport are fascinating to me. 

What level player are you? (NTRP rating):

4.5 (a little generous but don't tell anyone, you have to inflate a little).

What do you love about tennis? 

I have very fun ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in case you're lazy), and in so many ways tennis has given me an outlet to just understand more about how I think about the world. I've lost 0-6 0-6, I've won 6-0 6-0, and I hope to always experience every score line in between. 

Who are your favorite pro players? Why? 

I loved Tommy Haas growing up mainly for the backward cap (it's statistical fact that wearing a cap backwards makes you better at tennis). I love Iga Swiatek now, and a little bit of Medvedev villain-ery. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm in the middle of a year-long tennis sabbatical. Basically, I'm on leave so I can just play tennis all day. I got so obsessed with tennis two years ago that I think I might have watched every instructional video out there, so now I coach other people who didn't grow up playing. If you see me playing (backward cap and all), you'll also see me smiling. Oh and also, next time I play SJ I'm 100% going to win more than 2 games.