Most of you would know about Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi who has become the first man after 31 years to represent Pakistan in the singles competition. The latest on his Wimbledon adventure is that he has won his first round match against Britain’s Lee Childs. He convincingly won the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) and will now be playing former world No. 1 Marat Safin of Russia.
Click here to view the BBC video on the match which Aisam won against Lee Childs. It’s more a ‘Lee Childs Lost’ report then an ‘Aisam ul Haq Won’ report, but that’s probably because the BBC follows British players and their progress through the tournament. Anyhow, it’s the latest video of Aisam playing tennis and he seems to have a strong serve and volley game. He also has a very good drop shot.
Aisam’s progress in the tournament has already created a lot of hype and most Pakistanis are very proud of his achievements so far. At least, it gives us some sport to watch and cheer (and take part in) as there is no cricket these days. Compare this to Aisam’s previous visit to Wimbledon in 2002 when he partnered with Israeli Amir Hadad in the doubles competition (Daily Times):
The move enraged his country’s tennis federation as Pakistan, an Islamic republic, does not recognise the Jewish state. They threatened to throw Qureshi out of the Davis Cup team but he defiantly played on and the pair were later given the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for their solidarity. The Lahore-based player, whose mother Nausheen is a former national champion, could concentrate solely on his tennis this time.
This time around things have been going well for Aisam who considers this a dream come true. His performance against Lee Childs was extraordinary for someone who hasn’t taken part in a Grand Slam singles tournament. Just to put things into perspective, by moving into the second round he is now competing with 63 other players from all over the world to win the title. I know I am making it sound much bigger than it really is and I am pretty sure that he’s not winning it either, but personally I have not witnessed a Pakistani get so far in a Grand Slam in my lifetime and it marks something important in the current Pakistani sports scene.
However, I would also not want to overstate Aisam’s achievements. He is 27, which makes him a little older than Roger Federer who has already won 10 Grand Slams. Aisam just played his first Grand Slam singles match today (June 26 2007). Obviously, the two players are worlds apart. But then again there are thousands of other players who haven’t even gotten as far as Aisam, not just in Pakistan, but all over the world. Hopefully, Aisam will do well this time around and it will encourage a lot of youngsters in Pakistan to seriously take up tennis. The authorities should also pool in more money into this sport since Pakistan has managed to do reasonably well in the past compared to other sports.
The first man to represent Pakistan at Wimbledon singles was Khwaja Saeed Hai who qualified for the main round of Wimbledon for 3 consecutive years, viz. 1954, 1955 and 1956. The last man (before Aisam) to represent Pakistan at Wimbledon singles was Haroon Rahim in 1976. Hopefully we will not have to wait 31 years for more Pakistanis to do the same.
Below are some stats about Aisam:
Birthdate: 17 March 1980
Birthplace and Residence: Lahore, Pakistan
Current 52 week rank for singles: 259
Current ATP Champions Race Position: 158
Current Doubles Rank: 254
High Rank for Singles: 181
High Rank date for Singles: 1 November 2004
High ATP Champions Race Position: 158
High ATP Champions Rac Position date: 18 June 2007
High Rank for doubles: 89
High Rank date for doubles: 19 May 2003
Career Matches Won: 17
Career Matches Lost: 12
Year to date matches won: 1
Year to date matches lost: 1
Career prize money: $246677 USD
Year to date prize money for singles: $21393 USD
Year to date prize money for doubles: $4044 USD
Height: 6-0
Weight: 172 lb
Turned Pro: 1998
Plays: Right
Back Hand: Right
I agree with you in the fact that Aisam compared to the current world no.1 is a little old by tennis standards. But one of the major factors behind this is the amount of tennis that is being played by our guy. Decent sponsorships are hard to come by in Pakistan and is one of the reasons why our players dont travel with tennis circuits and play in tournaments all over the world. The more you play the better your rankings, the more chances you have of qualifying for a grand slam. Other than that the PTF does not make things easier either, just take the example of the Israeli pairing for doubles with Aisam and the onslaught from the media and PTF alike. The PTF instead of concentrating on politics should aim to establish academies for youngsters with talent, so they too can make their mark in international tennis. Look at Sania Mirza, butchered in the 2nd or 3rd dround of a grandslam everytime, but the media exposure has brought in hefty sponserships for her. Shes able to participate in almsot every other WTF tournament around. I wish the PTF would make some enthusiastic efforts to promote our young talent like that. At least they could have asked one of our own sports channels liek GEO super or even PTV to broadcast Aisam’s match. I think thats not too much to ask, is it??!!!