There was not a shadow of doubt about the ultimate winner when India were drawn to play against Pakistan in the recently-concluded Davis Cup World Group I tie.
The only element of interest was whether India will be convinced to visit Pakistan to complete the formality which it did following many ifs and butts and reluctance it had shown. Even their all-out effort to take the tie to a neutral venue met a dead end. Once it was established that the India team was finally coming over to Islamabad to compete against Pakistan, the rest was a formality.
Tennis like cricket is one of the most popular sports in India. The sport has gained immense popularity in the neighbouring country following Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna (Australian Open winner 2024) and a host of other players’ emergence at the international circuit.
The Indian government started investing heavily in tennis as a result at present almost 35 international senior circuit events are regularly conducted each year with a whopping prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per tournament. In comparison, Pakistan does not organise even a single international circuit senior event where some leading players get the opportunity of playing against the best in the world.
Almost 100 top Indian professionals and juniors stay at the international circuit throughout the year, traveling from one country to another to compete in one after another circuit event. We hardly have any player barring Aisamul Haq who stays busy around the year playing circuit tournament. At the age of 44, Aisam has already curtailed his international commitments. So practically speaking, Pakistan does not have a single professional tennis player pursuing the circuit wholeheartedly for the simple reason and that is financial constraints.
A few professionals capable of playing the circuit cannot buy air tickets, what to talk about boarding and lodging expenses. One of the leading pros Mohammad Shoaib who just broke into the senior circuit maintained that he even faces serious difficulties going through gym exercises to upgrade his lean muscle structure.
With the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Complex not equipped with the latest gym training exercise machines, he even hardly gets a chance to use the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) gym because of excessive occupation. If Pakistan No 1 Shoaib faces such hurdles, what would be the fate of other low-grade emerging players?
That is not all when we compare with the facilities, luxuries, and authority the All India Tennis Association (AITA) enjoys in grooming the budding players. Besides getting full support from the multinationals, provincial, and departmental units, the AITA gets Rs200 million annual grant from the government against just Rs3 million PTF receives.
AITA Secretary Anil Dhupar who spoke to ‘The News’ in breadth and length on tennis development in his country revealed that multinationals come in number to support budding players.
India has so much depth in tennis that even if their second string were here beating them would have been difficult. Almost a dozen Indians playing at the circuit are capable of playing for the country and their average age is less than 30 years. In comparison, Pakistan is still banking heavily on the two aging heroes Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan who have already touched 44 years-perfect age to become a senior coach.
Yet in the wake of no backup support, the two veteran pros are forced to bear the brunt of Pakistan tennis. Had they left playing tennis even at this age, we may not have been able to retain our place in Group II what to talk about playing Group I or World Group?
Now the question is why we have not been able to prepare the backup. The reason is very simple, no Olympic sports in Pakistan can survive without the government and multinationals’ help. This is a very basic requirement for the majority of sports in a country where society has yet to realise the importance of sports. Cricket and football are the only sports in the country that get financial support from the international bodies (ICC and FIFA), sufficient enough to carry out development work. In all other sports, Pakistan is entirely dependent on government support and help. Till the time we evolve a fresh system to ensure enough financial assistance to help professional players, government support is a must.
In tennis, in particular, playing the circuit is all the more important to improve players’ game standards. Up-and-coming players like Shoaib, Hamza Roman, and Huzaifa require consistent financial assistance.
There is a need for a marked improvement even on the organisational front when it comes to hosting international events like the Davis Cup ties. Though the touring Indian squad was well looked after during their stay in Pakistan, the PTF has failed badly when it came to extending facilities to the media persons in performing their duties.
Abdul Mohi Shah Abdul Mohi Shah is a senior reporter for The News