June 29, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1428

LONDON, June 28: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi said on Thursday he hoped his performances at Wimbledon would inspire his fellow Pakistanis to put down their cricket bats and try out a tennis racket.

But Aisam said aspiring young players in his homeland faced a struggle to make it in tennis, with the set-up virtually non-existent.

Aisam, who grew up playing on the grass courts of Lahore, was knocked out of the second round of Wimbledon in straight sets on Thursday by former world number one Marat Safin.

But nonetheless, he was the first Pakistani to play in the Wimbledon men's singles since Haroon Rahim in 1976 and matched his compatriot's best-ever performance by reaching the second round.

“Being Pakistani and playing a world class player, US Open champion, Australian Open champion, is a big deal,” Aisam said.

“I've just heard everybody is going crazy.

“As a player I'm pretty satisfied because in Pakistan people don't know that much about tennis but everybody knows about Wimbledon. As a player I think I do have to start winning bigger tournaments for people to recognise the sport and me.

“So far I've heard nobody is thinking cricket or talking cricket, so it's a good feeling. I hope I made them proud.

“It's a big step in my career, also. It has opened a lot of doors. I have a lot of self-belief that I can do well and be with the big boys in the top 100.”

Aisam, 27, said that young tennis players in cricket-crazy Pakistan faced a fight to make it as a professional, with facilities and financial backing scarce.

“There is no set-up,” the world No 279 said.

“They say they're working on it. They're trying to build a new tennis centre – the only one we have in Pakistan, which is a shame. By the time it's going to be complete, probably I'm going to retire.

“But they're saying they're going to start working on it. So I hope after this... they're going to get serious about it.”

He added: “I've been really lucky and fortunate that my parents could support me. Back home there are a lot of players that want to play but they're just waiting for the sponsors because they can't afford it. So it's a pity.

“I have to do my job on the tennis court so maybe the government think there's another sport besides cricket. Hopefully this week I've done good for some other people, also.

“Out of all my brothers and sisters I was the most sporty one. When I was younger I always used to play all the sports, so I was master of none. But when I was 14 years old she just took me to the tennis club.

“I used to play cricket in my school and soccer and stuff like that, and in a way she just wanted me to give it a shot. I never thought I would be a professional tennis player when I started. It was just a hobby in a way,” Aisam added.—AFP