Tennis activities can resume with precautionary measures in place: Aqeel

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top tennis player Aqeel Khan believes that the sport can be played under certain precautionary measures as competing players are away from each other unlike contact sports.

As the Covid-19 pandemic is showing little sign of abating, debates have started whether sports should start just like other social activities. “I think tennis is one of the few sports where chances of catching the virus is very low and if certain precautions are taken, then it can be played without any danger,” Aqeel said on Monday.

He said that his brother Jalil Khan has been coaching in America and tennis authorities there have given SOPs to start tennis activities especially coaching. “A tennis court is 72-feet long and if the game is singles’ then the players are far apart properly satisfying the social distance regulation. And even in the doubles game, the players will be far enough to staying in the required limits of social distancing,” Aqeel said. He added that tennis balls, which normally both players touch, can be brought by each player and marked so that they serve using only the ball they bring.