June 21, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 16, 1429

KARACHI, June 20: Pakistan’s top tennis player Aqeel Khan has lamented that the game has been going through it’s worst-ever period in the country with no remedial measures in sight.

“How do you expect a player to perform well in the Davis Cup and other international events without getting a tough competition at home?” he questioned. “By playing just one national ranking tournament in six months cannot lift players’ morale,” he told Dawn on Friday.

“I got a winning purse of meagre Rs30,000 for winning the men’s singles crown, beating Asim Shafik in the contest held here in April.

‘How a professional player will survive and get his bread and butter with such a small amount?” he asked.

The Davis Cupper said no national ranking tournament is in the pipeline in the next two months.

Meanwhile, he is set to fly to Bahrain on Tuesday to play in an invitational tournament which carries winning purse of US dollars 1,000.

“This is the second consecutive time I will compete in the event, the first being held last year where I emerged triumphant,” he remarked.

Aqeel said he will return from Bahrain on July 1.

Referring to future plans, Aqeel said he was looking for sponsors for two legs of ITF Futures being held at Syria from July 7. The tournament carries US dollars 15,000 apiece, he said.