EXCLUSIVE: Tennis champion Reehan Rashad praises WYF

CAIRO – 9 November 2017: During the first day of the closing ceremony of the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt Today met one of the promising Egyptian talents who participated in the forum.

Reehan Rashad, 22, hailed from an athletic family; her father Magid Rashad was the goalkeeper of the Egyptian hockey national team, and her mother Wafaa Kotb was a handball player; so naturally, Reehan and her brother, Kareem, are also athletes.

Rashad began the interview by introducing herself to Egypt Today; “I was born in New York, USA and I came back to Egypt when I was six. I was raised here and started playing tennis here in Smouha club in Alexandria.”

Rashad spoke about her career in Tennis, stating that she started playing “for U14, U16 and U18 national teams and then I got a scholarship in Queens College in New York to play tennis for them.”



Rashad revealed her best achievements in the game. “After only one semester, I was the second best in the east coast, and in 2017 I won best player.”

Asked about how she participated in the forum, Rashad explained that she was invited to participate in the forum from one of her friends who applied, which prompted her to apply as well.


Reehan withb her teammates in Queens - Reehan Instagram

“It is a good opportunity to meet a lot of people, to serve your country and… present it back in New York.”


Reehan plays for Queens - Egypt Today

Asked about the impact of her participation on her study, she said “. I study media I do have presentations about Egypt and how Egypt is safe and how like the media is sometimes really harsh on Egypt and they say staff that is not really what is happening. ”

Reehan Rashad faces many challenges in New York to raise her country’s flag abroad; she said “A lot of other players there are really really good; I always have to practice hard. Also because I study so it is really tough to manage my time between studying and tennis but so far, I am doing really well in that.”

Reehan Rashad finished her interview with Egypt Today; she praised the forum saying “It is a great experience and this forum is really successful 99 percent.”