Aisam Ul Haq: An inspiration for the Pakistani youth
It has been an amazing breakthrough for Pakistani tennis, as Aisam Ul Haq, who is currently ranked number one in Pakistan, made it to the quarterfinals in men’s doubles at Wimbledon which is the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.
He is the first professional tennis player from Pakistan who has advanced this far in any Grand Slam tournament. Hence, it is quite an honour for Pakistan to have an exceptional player like Aisam.
Aisam considers his performance at Wimbledon 2010 to be his best performance in his career up till now and hopes to achieve more in the future. He considers himself to be an inspiration for the Pakistani youth and may be a source of motivation for them in the field of tennis.
He feels that right now the country is lagging behind in the sport. Although, there is talent to be found among the Pakistani youth, they are unwilling to put it to better use and lack the facilities to develop this talent in order to play at a professional level.
This was proven at the Davis Cup 2010, where Pakistan was up against New Zealand in a second round tie. Aisam had just accomplished his record at Wimbledon and from there he immediately flew out to help the Pakistani team in this challenge.
The Pakistani team was lucky to have him and he proved to be one of their most valued assets as he almost brought the team to victory. The Davis Cup tie can only be won by the combined effort of the team and it was not possible for one man to make the entire team victorious. Aisam was well aware of this and had told the team that they all needed to strive to win and relying on him fully was not going to make them succeed. However, Pakistan lost to New Zealand 3-2.
Aisam believes that the reason for losing was that the Pakistani team did not have seasoned players who were ready to face the extreme pressure imposed on them by international tennis tournaments like the Davis Cup.
This championship has teams from countries all around the world, who send their best and most talented players out there to compete with others. Unfortunately, the Pakistani team is deprived of tennis players of that calibre. Aisam says that the dependence of the team on him and Aqeel Khan is what brought them down.
It is about time that Pakistan realises that it is in need of more talented professional tennis players. The game of tennis has become competitive and is much more demanding. It requires prime physical as well as mental fitness and players need to work extensively in order to achieve any kind of success in their careers as pro's.
The Pakistani champion, Aisam Ul Haq recognises the problem his country is undergoing and wants the youth of the country, to build on their passion to play tennis, and to take his example and start working harder in order to pursue their professional career's in the game.
Aisam also insisted that the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) needs to be more active and that they should organize more tournaments to search for upcoming talent. These tournaments will also be an opportunity for the current players to see what they are up against and how they can boost their performances.
Furthermore, the PTF should also send young players from Pakistan to participate in international tournaments regularly. This will enable them to realise that tennis has reached very high levels and will surely make them work harder on their game. This is what can guarantee a better future for tennis in Pakistan.
“There is no short cut to success and there should be an organised way to train junior players to lend support to senior players in international meets.” said Aisam Ul Haq, during an interview with Dawn News.
Along with being the pride for Pakistan in tennis, Aisam wants to be an inspiration for other amateur players so that they can develop their game and join him in making a name for Pakistan in the international tennis community.
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