Tennis gains popularity and stature in Pakistan
Pakistani players have made their mark on the international level in hockey and cricket, now tennis.
Pakistan’s flag flying high at the US Open doubles’ finals was one of the most proud and timely moments in the country’s sports history. Cricket has been the dominant sport in Pakistan. The players have enjoyed the status of national heroes and role models
for youngsters. But of late the game has been under immense pressure, the sport has been plagued with controversies and allegations.
After the US Open 2010, tennis has been seen as a thriving sport in Pakistan for the first time. Even though the country has produced talented tennis players in the past, the sport was never taken seriously on the national level.
Tennis talents like Aqeel Khan and many others have gone unnoticed due to lack of funds and facilities. Even for the latest Pakistani tennis sensation, Aisam-ul-Haq it was not an easy task to make a mark at the international tennis scene, he did not enjoy
much support from the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTA).
But Aisam-ul-Haq’s unbelievable run at the US Open 2010 (doubles’ event) has given tennis a new life in Pakistan. He is the only Pakistani to break into the top 50 ATP rankings (men’s doubles teams). Since the grand slam final, many young children have replaced
their cricket bats with tennis rackets and are dreaming about following in Aisam’s footsteps.
One such inspired youngster is Aisam’s cousin Samir Iftikhar. The British-born Pakistani is a perfect example of somebody shifting his interest from cricket to tennis. “Cricket bores me now, I like tennis much better and I think it was the best choice for
me”, says the youngster. Samir’s father encouraged him to pursue the sport of tennis, advice that Samir took to heart. Since then he has been working hard to achieve what his cousin has done, to represent Pakistan at the highest level.
Aisam has high hopes for his tennis playing cousin, he believes Samir will play a vital role in taking tennis to the next level in Pakistan, “I’m very happy with Samir’s performance; he’s getting good training, heading in the right direction and has a long
way to go”, says Aisam.
Samir is definitely not facing the same hurdles as were faced by tennis players before him, Pakistan Tennis Federation is extending its full support to the youngster; it has provided sponsorship for a number of his international tours. The 18-year old enjoys
an endorsement from the premium sports manufacturer HEAD NV. Samir is also a part of their “Elite Team”, which is a global sponsorship programme with an objective to promote upcoming tennis talent in more than 40 countries.
Samir’s training hours have already started producing results. He took part in the Oman International Junior Tournament where he won his first international title after defeating Arjun Pande (India).
He has already made a trip to a grand slam tournament, the Australian Open. Even though he lost in the first round, Samir declares it was a valuable experience and instrumental in shaping up his career. He has participated in 30 international tournaments
to date. He hopes to play in eight more tournaments (three in Europe, three in UAE and two in Central Asia) in the current year.
He is a real talent for sure as is evident from his huge leap from ITF number 1300 to 271 within a year. Samir hopes to break into world’s top 100 soon and make an impact at the highest levels of the game. Where Asim-ul-Haq’s efforts have brought tennis
to the limelight in Pakistan, Samir’s success will have a huge impact on making tennis one of the major sports in the country.
Pakistan possesses great tennis talent, but there is a need to establish a solid tennis infrastructure. The PTF needs to organize more tennis tournaments, which will give the upcoming players a foundation to build their careers on.
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