Despite opportunities in neighbouring India, Pakistani professionals are not taking the game seriously
In Pakistan tennis’ not so illustrious history, for only the third time the Pakistan Tennis Federation is organizing Pakistan ITF (Men’s Professional Satellite) Tennis Circuit in the country.
To be held from August 8 to September 5, the first leg is scheduled to be held in Islamabad (8-14 August); the second and third leg will be held in Lahore (15-22 August) and (23-29 August) and Masters leg will be held in Karachi (30th August to 15th September).
At present Pakistan is among the top eight teams of Asia as far as Davis Cup Team event is concerned. Others include India, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and Thailand. They all are the members of group one of Asia Oceania Davis Cup.
However, Pakistan’s good standing in Asia comes to very little when one realizes that only Aisamul Haq commands an ITF World Ranking in professional tennis, in the individual as well as the doubles events. At the same time the seven other top Asian nations of tennis have numerous of players in the world rankings and they regularly participate in international professional events. Thailand’s Paradon Sriehappan and India’s Leander Paes have touched several peaks in international tennis. Top Pakistani players like Aqeel Khan, Nomi Qamer, Asim Shafiq do not travel even in the region, to countries like India, Qatar, Uzbekistan etc. where ITF’s world ranking events are held regularly.
National junior players like Wasif Cheema, Adnan Khan and Shahzaib Niazi belong to well-off families and can easily afford to travel to India, where no less than six ITF satellite and future events are held every year. These events carry handsome cash prizes. Players from Far East, Middle East, South Asia and Europe participate in these competitions along with a number of Indians.
The Pakistani tennis circle has no culture of travelling for international exposure. They have assumed that its some other creature that participates in those events. Like a frog of a well, they think since there is no scope in getting livelihood in the country through tennis, so play only for fun. Coaches’ sons only target is to get a good job somewhere in the Middle East. Islamul Haq, Mohammed Khalid, Mohammed Khaliq and Tahir Iftikhar are recent examples of such players who reached the top of national tennis and then went abroad for coaching jobs.
They should understand that tennis is a game that offers millions of dollars to professionals of tennis. The world is their market, even world’s No 500 makes enough money for himself by coming back to Pakistan ITF Satellite Circuit.
Our national top players are only able to participate in this event through wild cards. ITF has given Pakistan Tennis Federation four wild cars for the main draw and four for qualifying draw. A total sum of Rs 36,00,000 rupees will be spent only to provide international exposure to our players, who will be competing for $25000 in prize money.
Pakistan tennis officials and players — current and former both — are equally responsible of this very poor state of affairs in tennis in the country. Officials are satisfied with generating national or provincial activity and occasionally international events. All of them are working on honorary basis and are not answerable to anybody.
Current top players Aqeel, Nomi, Jalil and Asim Shafiq will last only two to three years. It is high time for national junior players to rise to the occasion and start participating in the Indian circuit and fill the forthcoming vacuum which is fast emerging.
Another aspect that needs immediate attention of the PTF is that Pakistan has no ITF qualified referee or chair umpire to officiate ITF Satellite Circuit. PTF will host two ITF nominated officials from abroad who will charge us Rs300,000 and Rs25,000 as their fee, besides the air tickets, and boarding and lodging at a four-star hotel for complete one month that will cost an approximate, Rs400,000 additional burden on the local sponsors. PTF should send a few national educated umpires to ITF qualification Bronze Badge courses so as to create a pool of qualified local officials.
It will be highly fruitful if PTF arrange an officiating clinic in Pakistan during the satellite circuit. PTF should also establish a pool of umpires, as is the case in hockey and cricket, to take care of future needs.
Despite opportunities in neighbouring India, Pakistani professionals are not taking the game seriously 
