National Tennis player, Mohd Aiman Abdullah in action in this file photo. Mohd Aiman is looking towards a career in coaching after his playing days are over. BT file
Mohd Aiman Abdullah is looking to take it up another level.
The national tennis player will head to Kuala Lumpur for the Lawn Tennis Association Malaysia (LTAM) Level 1 Coaching Certificate from February 27 - March 7.
The 22-year-old is picking up the slack to keep the development of the sport moving forward after the departure of national coach Fan Po Hoa in the first week of January.
He is positive and believes that his experience under the former national coach will help him out.
"I will prepare to the best that I can especially mentally. For the past 10 years coach Fan taught me a lot. Not only in playing but also coaching," said Aiman in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
"He brought me along to schools for programmes the last time as well. So with that experience behind my back," he added.
"I hope for the best while I'm there to achieve the certificate (which is equivalent to International Tennis Federation Level 1)," continued Aiman.
The national player already has some experience under his belt by lending a hand to the national junior scheme for under-12-year-olds on Fridays at the National Tennis Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.
He is also looking forward to get back on tour later this year with his last competition being the Singapore Tennis Association (STA) Open in December where he was knocked out in the quarter-finals.
"There are no plans for any upcoming tournaments at the moment as I'm preparing myself for a coaching certificate," said Aiman.
"Most likely I will get back on tour after the ITF competition (49th Brunei ITF Junior Circuit Grade 4 from March 11-16)," added Brunei's tennis ace.
"I still want to play tennis but with no proper finance it is hard to travel. It is never easy but I'm trying to make the best out of it. But after my playing career is over then I'm going to take coaching as the next career," he concluded.
Meanwhile, the BDTA (Brunei Darussalam Tennis Association) Open Veteran Tournament, which was supposed to begin yesterday, has been put off due to insufficient participation.
Next on the calendar will be the first leg of the BDTA Open Singles beginning on Monday.
It remains a busy schedule for the sport in March as right after the 49th Brunei ITF Junior Circuit Grade 4, three other competitions will be held.
First on the list is the BDTA Junior Singles Open (1st leg) from March 17-23 followed by the 1st leg of the BDTA Open Doubles from March 24-30.
March will end with the Inter-School Single League organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE).
