KARACHI, July 2: A senior Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) official advised Aisam-ul-Haq Tuesday to end his doubles partnership with Israeli Amir Hadad.

The pair hit the headlines at Wimbledon where they reached the third round of the men’s doubles, causing consternation in some quarters back home.

“I think he can be forgiven for playing with the Israeli in the Wimbledon championships but he should not repeat the act in the US Open in August,” PTF senior vice-president Khawaja Saeed Hai said.

Hai said he believed Aisam would commit a grave mistake by repeating his pairing act.

Hai said Aisam was Pakistan’s best player at the moment but even he should not expect to override national sentiment about Israel, which Pakistan does not recognise.

“He has to realise that for Pakistani Muslims, Israel is a very contentious and sensitive issue. It is not just about playing tennis,” Hai said.

“I would hate to see any strong action taken against Aisam and I think he should look at forming a new partnership for future tournaments,” said Hai.

Hai also advised him to “stop talking too much on this issue”, and said: “He might end up saying something which could create a lot of problems for him in future.”—Reuters