Islamabad
Former Davis Cupper Hamid ul Haq believes the future of Pakistan in tennis is apparently in doldrums after current players – Aqeel Khan and Aisam ul Haq.
He points out that it is the outcome of National Federation’s (PTF) poor policies over the years.
Hamid, a Pride of Performance recipient, said PTF is not investing the way it should on junior players which had resulted in no replacements for Aqeel Khan and Aisam ul Haq for future.
He said it seemed some advisors to PTF President Salim Saifullah has been misguiding him which had resulted in the downfall of the game.
Hamid said he as a coach made Pakistan won four Davis Cups but parted ways with PTF just because of the same reason. “PTF has never given cash rewards to junior players of the Davis Cup team,” he claimed.
He said Pakistan lost to India in Under-12 South Asian event without winning a single game in three matches.
We also lost to Bangladesh in the same tournament. Pakistan team finished 6th out of seven in the Fed Cup qualifying and came 13th out of 16 teams in the Davis Cup Junior, he said.
Coming to the Pakistan-India Davis Cup tie set on September 14 and 15 here at Pakistan Sports Complex, he said International Tennis Federation (ITF) has a very strict policy if any team fails or declines to go for the tie, then it is fined and banned from international tournaments. “Hong Kong was fined and barred from international tournaments when it declined to visit Pakistan for the tie in 2017,” he said.—APP
