Aseel Shaheen has made history becoming the first Arab woman to officiate at Wimbledon this year.
The 41-year-old Kuwaiti joins 350 men and women (60 of whom are foreign) officiating at the Championships this year.
Shaheen, who became a line judge after enrolling on a course in 2002, admitted that even though she didn’t know a lot about tennis before enrolling for the course, she finished third in her class.
“It’s an indescribable feeling being here, it’s something big, it’s a challenge,” she said.
“I told them I wanted to be an international umpire, I have the qualification and I have the language skills, because I speak good English. So I went to officiating school,” she added.
Shaheen says the All England Club “really accepted” alleviating her initial apprehension she would be unwelcomed because she covers her head.
“My wearing the hijab and working on court during a tennis match at Wimbledon is a sign that the world is starting to accept us more,” she added.
