Aisam ul Haq: A Success Story
Well finally Pakistan got to hear good news in the world of sports after the triumph in T20 World Cup 2009. Aisam ul haq, Pakistan’s premier tennis player won the nations heart by playing the finals of the US Open 2010. He was the first Pakistani to
have achieved such a milestone in the field of tennis. Aisam ul Haq has been making headlines for quite some time and finally got his breakthrough by being the only Pakistani tennis player to reach the final of a Grand Slam. Aisam achieved this feat in style
amid controversies at home regarding spot-fixing by Pakistan Cricket players.
Born in Lahore in 1980 Aisam ul haq hails from a sports loving family. His mother is also a former tennis player and has been the National Champion for ten years. His maternal uncle Khawaja Iftikhar was also a professional tennis player. Aisam is ranked
as a top 30 doubles player and is the former Asian number 3. Aisam started playing at the age of 14. He won the Pakistan International Junior Championship and from there launched his career on the road which would lead to many successful landmarks. Aisam has
been representing Pakistan in the Davis cup since 1998.
Aisam has featured in almost all the big matches for his country with his biggest achievement being representing Pakistan in the US Open Doubles Final 2010. If the match wasn't enough, Aisam in his post match speech addressed the audience rather heroically
and said "We are not terrorists, we are very friendly people and we want peace as much as you people". With this act of courage and patriotism he certainly won the whole nations admiration and the result was Pakistanis hailing him as the Hero of the nation.
Aisam has also been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Asiam’s presence in the Finals of the US open 2010 along with India’s Rohan Bopanna was satisfying for the diehard fans of sporting events not only in Pakistan but also across the border. Both of them have started a campaign “Stop War Start Tennis”
with their aim to bridge the gap between the two neighboring countries and lessen the border tensions. Aisam has always been of the opinion that the diplomatic and border tensions should always be kept away from the playing field. In 2002 he teamed up with
Israeli player Amir Hadad despite huge uproar from International communities. During the last decade Asiam has won many laurels for the country with an unmatched contribution in the field of tennis. His presence on the field and off the field has always been
one of a gentleman and his conduct has never let the country down. Especially talking in context of the recent spot fixing allegations on three Pakistani Cricketers, which has somewhat tarnished the credibility of our players. Aisam has been a welcome addition
to our inventory of talented players and is the first tennis player to have reached that high a status.
Traditionally Pakistan has excelled in other sports like Cricket, Hockey and Squash but Aisam’s contribution to the game of tennis has opened new horizons for Pakistan. The tennis governing body can mark this as an opportunity to take a few positive
steps towards the right direction and improve the standard of tennis in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan will also be aware of the achievement of Aisam and will find themselves in a position to support the game of tennis in the future since that will be
a sign that Aisam's heroics didn't go to waste.
Tags: