Meet the first Moroccan girl to win a singles match at Wimbledon
The 2023 Junior Championships, Wimbledon may not have panned out exactly as Morocco’s Malak El Allami would have hoped, but she has still secured a piece of history – something which will hopefully inspire future generations.
In defeating Anya Murthy of the United States in the first round, El Allami became something of a trailblazer as the first Moroccan girl to post a Junior Grand Slam singles match-win at Wimbledon.
While defeat to Great Britain’s Hannah Klugman in the second round ended her SW19 journey, the 16-year-old believes her exploits will resonate with Moroccan junior players and girls in particular, inspiring and motivating in equal measure.
“For the girls back home, it shows them that they can do great things,” El Allami tells itftennis.com. “Being from Morocco is not a reason why we can’t achieve such things and play in big tournaments. I hope they take this as motivation and work to achieve great things.
“It is good to know that I am the first Moroccan to win here because grass is not a surface that Moroccans are familiar with. That said, I was looking to do better, but it was an experience I learned a lot from, and I will go back home and work harder with greater belief in myself.
“It honestly felt great to play here. At first I was anxious as to how well I would do on the surface, but I think I improved and played some good tennis. Whether next year or in the years ahead, if I get to compete, I think I could do good things here.
“It is always an honour to represent Morocco at a big tournament. Back home there is a lot of people who support, including the federation, and while we want to play well for ourselves, we want to play well for those people who help us.”
El Allami represented Morocco at the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors Finals in Antalya, Türkiye where she helped her nation to a record-breaking sixth-place finish. She has since progressed along the player pathway and last month made her Billie Jean King Cup debut at senior level.
She has continued to compete in junior tennis while also testing herself within the professional ranks on the ITF World Tennis Tour and in January she reached her maiden final at W15 Monastir. El Allami would appear to possess a focus and determination to make significant gains at every opportunity.
“It takes a lot of hard work to make it,” said El Allami. “But it is not only tennis work, you have to work on yourself to believe that you can do great things. Sometimes you have the level but not the confidence to achieve.
“There are a lot of matches that have got in my mind and helped to make me a stronger player. The loss like I experienced here at Wimbledon will make me better for what is next.”