PTF demands Rs200m for tennis uplift

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has demanded Rs200 million from the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to bring the Islamabad Sports Complex at par with the modern day requirements and to prepare the back-up tennis players for the future international events.

PTF President Salim Saifullah Khan told ‘The News’ on Friday that the request has been forwarded through Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) to the sports loving prime minister.

“The series of encouraging results during the last one year has convinced us to seek PM’s help for promotion of tennis. The PTF has the required area where the complex has already been raised. What we need is a complex that can cater the needs of modern tennis. Establishing such a complex is must for grooming talented and budding players,” Salim Saifullah said.

Pakistan are on the winning streak in the Davis Cup as after 15 years the country has won Group I tie against South Korea recently. Apart from that, PTF also hosted series of international Futures events that gave good opportunity to Pakistani players to gauge their strength and weaknesses while playing against the best around.

“Look grooming your top budding players and maintaining high standard in the game is a continuous process. To evolve that process we need a new set-up where we can establish academy for back-up squad.”

Salim Saifullah said it would not be possible to maintain a set standard until and unless PTF continuously spend money on players. “We have requested to the PM to help set that base, which in longer run would provide the best results. I hope that the prime minister would help streamline the future of budding national players by sanctioning the amount.”

The PTF president believed that Rs100 million during the first year and the same amount during the next financial year would help us establish the base of tennis in the country.