KARACHI: Saeed Hai, a former Pakistan No. 1 tennis player and the first from the country to feature in the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships in 1955 and 1956, is struggling with health issues these days following his surgery at a local hospital here last week.

Hai, now 87, remained a prominent player for Pakistan for in the 50s and the 60s. Besides his qualification at Wimbledon, where he played men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles, Hai also reached the second round of French Open besides featuring in the US Open in 1964.

Speaking to Dawn on Friday from his residence, Hai, who also captained Pakistan’s Davis Cup teams for a record number of times during his career, said he is facing lot of difficulty in walking after his surgery.

“I have always maintained a strict fitness routine and diet to keep myself going, even at this ripe age. But due to loss of blood in my recent surgery, I have become extremely weak and want my fans and colleagues to pray for my recovery,” he said.

Hai studied at the Aligarh Muslim University in India where he honed his skills at the game and went on to make a name for himself by competing in the world circuit.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) awarded him with a gold medal at their annual general meeting held in Lausnne (Switzerland) before 300 delegates from 198 affiliated associations of ITF including Pakistan.

Saeed Hai has been fairly active as a tennis officials in recent years and currently heads the organising committee of Sindh Tennis Association besides being a Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2018