Squash, tennis players have nowhere to train

KARACHI: The closure of public sports facilities amid nationwide lockdown is hurting tennis and squash players.

Since Pakistan is a developing courty, there is no concept of in-house tennis or squash courts. PTF Tennis Complex, the biggest tennis facility in the country, was the first to get closed due to Covid-19.

The PSB’s national coaching centre is the only public facility with operative squash courts but its tennis courts have not been in usable condition for a long time. Its squash courts are under the control of a former squash legend who is running his academy there. The courts at KMC Sports Complex are available only to its members, while Landhi Sports Complex is still to be made operational.

The rest of the facilities are private and very expensive which majority of local players cannot afford. “It is very sad that we don’t have public courts in Karachi. It hurts local players who cannot afford expensive private facilities,” said Aqeel Khan while talking to ‘The News’.

Pakistan’s top tennis player from Karachi was lucky to have the facility of Modern Club where his father was a coach and this helped him become the most successful player of the country. “The situation is more troubling for senior squash players as they have to have memberships of private clubs to keep playing this sport,” he said.

Asif Idrees, a former national player, said the few public squash courts in Karachi were sadly not available to senior players as they were either occupied by private coaching academies or were closed. It is pertinent to mention here that the famous PIA Squash Complex at Kashmir Road has already been converted into a private sports club under a lease agreement.