Aqeel to accompany Aisamin Melbourne for Grand Slam training

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ace tennis player Aqeel Khan will be accompanying international Aisamul Haq Qureshi as a hitting partner for the Australian Open scheduled to be held in Melbourne from February 8, 2021.

Aqeel told ‘The News’ that he would help Aisam in his training during there. The duo has planned to depart for Australia in the second week of January. “Aisam wanted me to accompany him to Australia as a hitting partner and help him prepare for the Open. I gleefully accepted the offer. Aisam is planning to train for three weeks in Australia ahead of Grand Slam event.”

Aqeel and Aisam had been the key members of Pakistan Davis Cup team and have helped the country stay as the top tennis-playing nation in Asia. “The training in Australia will also help me as a player and later in my coaching profession which I plan to pursue once I call it a day from national and international tennis. Besides training with Aisam, my plan is to play some competitive matches and train with some other available players. However, my top priority would still be to give maximum time to Aisam and help him in his efforts to make the best use of the opportunity there.”

Aqeel hoped that his international exposure would also help Aisam prepare well for the forthcoming Davis Cup ties. Though Aisam would facilitate Aqeel putting up his major share, ‘The News’ has learnt that even the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) would contribute to his tour.

“Definitely, we would support Aqeel in the best possible way. The two have served the country’s tennis for long and helped the nation stay as a leading Davis Cup country in Asia. Whenever the duo would require our support we would be there for help. They deserve even more but we have limited financial resources due to lack of governmental support,” Khawar Hayat, Executive Vice President PTF, said.

He added that by playing and training together in Melbourne, they would attain the best possible form for the forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Japan to be played at the Sports Complex’s grass courts in Islamabad on March 5-6.

Aqeel and Aisam have plans to return home in the last week of February for the Davis Cup tie. “Both are our key players when it comes to Davis Cup campaign so we hope that they would be in best of shape for the all-important tie,” Khawar Hayat said.