ISLAMABAD: Pakistani sisters Alina Aftab and Mahin Aftab consider Venus and Serena Williams their role models and hope to emulate them one day.

“The Williams sisters are our role models and we are on course to achieve what they did,” the sisters said while talking to APP.

Alina, 13, and Mahin, 11, had a four-month intensive training last year in Barcelona, Spain under leading world coaches, including Colin Padro of Chile, Juan Carlos Baguena, Raphael Maurer, Robert and Fedrico (Kiko).

Currently, former national champion Zulfiqar Rahim and level-I coach Moin are grooming them at the Pakistan Tennis Complex in Islamabad.

Playing tennis is their craze and they practice diligently every day for three hours.

“Both the sisters are full of passion, determination and self- belief, which are prerequisites for those aspiring to become champions,” said Rahim, who also has experience of coaching in the United Kingdom.

“I’ve never seen such talented girls like Alina and Mahin in my coaching career. They have a lot of natural talent, they are very explosive and fast, and can play from anywhere on the court,” he added.

Moin said that as players, both the sisters were coming along well.

“They are hard workers, talented and great competitors. They are smart on the court. I am sure they have a bright future.”

He added that both of them are extremely determined and focused on winning.

“The good thing about them is that they don’t like to lose. They will leave it all out there before they shake hands,” he added.

The two started playing tennis about three years ago and have not looked back since then.

“We got really tough training in Spain under the watchful eyes of renowned coaches. Everyday we used to get intensive training of around five hours,” Alina said.

“But almost seven months have passed and we have not played even a single tournament here, as the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has failed to hold any event for under-14 girls.

“We appeared in just one event, which was organized by the Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC). Mahin and I made it to the final. However, Mahin got the better of me,” she added.

Mahin, who won in the under-12 category of the first ITC National Junior Ranking Tennis Championship last year, said: “Besides the Williams sisters, we like Roger Federer and want to become true champions.”

“We wish to match and break records set by Serena and Venus and I’m sure we can do that,” she added.

Alina and Mahin’s father Air Commodore Aftab Ahmed said that he wanted to see his daughters representing the country in WTA events.

Last year, he himself bore the expenses of his daughters’ training in Spain but this year, the owner and director of Roots Schools System, Waleed Mushtaq, had pledged to arrange a sponsorship for their training.

“He (Waleed) has also offered scholarships to my daughters at Roots School System,” he added.

He said both the girls needed to get training in Barcelona for at least four months every year until 2016 to be able to compete in the WTA events.

He added that the Pakistan Air Force and his family had been extending tremendous support to him.

“I feel I’ve been so blessed, I have colleagues and relatives, who are appreciative and supportive of my endeavours to make my daughters true sportspersons.’’