Rao hopes Lahore willhost Pak Open Tennis

LAHORE: Chairman Punjab Lawn Tennis Association Rao Iftikhar believes that the day is not far away when Lahore will host Pakistan Open Tennis similar to grand slams like the US Open and Australian Open.

He believed that the event will be recognised the world over. He said that its an honour of PLTA for receiving best unit trophy from Pakistan Tennis Federation. He regretted the role of affiliated units of the PTF for doing nothing accept for giving vote after four years and asked the federation to get more units active so that Pakistan could have more Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan.

He pointed out that these two players are bearing the burden of Pakistan tennis on their shoulders for the last 20 years. He also urged the upcoming players to work hard, which to him is the only to the top. “Aisam and Aqeel are the role model for the youngsters because they have been ruling the game for the last two decades with sheer hard work,” he added. He also revealed PLTA’s plan to hold more tennis events at Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Multan, and Bahawalpur in the coming days.

To tap fresh blood, he said that the association has launched a three-year talent hunt programme under which events will be organized and talented players will be given training under the supervision of qualified coaches. He also praised PTF president Saleem Saifullah for his efforts that made Pakistan host the international events in Pakistan. “Holding Pakistan Open with international players is his long standing dream and as security situation has improved a lot we would try to attract foreign players in the event,” he vowed. For Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan, he hoped to Aisam and Aqeel will get Pakistan through in this crucial tie too.