Double fault

Pakistan lost the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie against Uzbekistan on Saturday and the two main reasons which come to mind are lack of preparation and also of replacements for our two stalwarts. That sounds like a double fault.

A double fault is the worst thing a tennis player can do in a match. It is something that is not forced upon him/her by the opponent and one can say that it is entirely in control of the player himself. Double faults should be avoided as much as possible because it can have a major impact on the end result.

It has been said time and again that Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan cannot go on forever. They have done Pakistan proud for over 20 years now and slowly but surely they are coming to the end of their brilliant Davis Cup careers. Even though both have won some grueling matches in the past, they are beginning to show signs of ageing. Their lengthy careers have started to take its toll on their 38-year-old bodies. It’s not long before we see a Pakistan Davis Cup tie without the names of Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan on the team’s name sheet. It sounds scary, doesn’t it?

When the International Tennis Federation decided to change the format of the Davis Cup ties — three-set matches played over two days instead of the five-setters over three days — many in Pakistan thought it would go in our favour as we have had a virtually two-member team for as long as one can remember. The other players haven’t had much to do in all this time. It has been Aisam and Aqeel in the singles as well in the doubles. But making them play the singles and doubles against top opponents in warm weather is maybe asking too much

from two ageing players.

Fitness proved the key in the outcome of the latest tie. Aisam started off well against Denis Istomin in the opening singles and matched his Uzbek opponent in the first set which went to 17-17 in the tie-break. Then the Pakistan ace started to get cramps in his hand and that was that. Aqeel fought back from a set down to beat Sanjar Fayziev to make it one-all at the end of the first day. Come Saturday morning, and Aisam and Aqeel were back on court for the doubles. They lost to Istomin and Jurabek Karimov in straight sets. The Pakistani players clearly looked fatigued and were not up to the challenge. In the first reverse singles also, Aqeel went down without much of a fight. One could see that the energy level was not there and that could only be because of lack of fitness required to play on two days on a trot.

A conditioning cum training camp of at least three weeks prior to the tie would have been ideal preparation. Aqeel did not play much tennis after the South Korea tie because of a troublesome arm and he perhaps needed a somewhat lengthy preparation. Instead, the Pakistan team members were playing a grass court tournament in Lahore when they should have been focusing on the important Uzbek tie in Islamabad. Similarly, Aisam needed to acclimatise to the conditions at the venue as he is mostly out of the country.

The biggest issue Pakistan tennis faces in the future is finding good enough players to take the country forward. Unfortunately, there aren’t any replacements for Aisam and Aqeel. Salim Saifullah Khan has done a wonderful job as the president of the Pakistan Tennis Federation. He is the person responsible for bringing International Tennis Federation circuit events and Davis Cup ties back to the country. While all this is really good, there is also a need to have one eye on the future. Officials are important but the people who are absolutely vital for any sport to survive are the players who have the ability to compete at the highest level. Pakistan has been fortunate in the sense that we have had some excellent players up till now who have represented the country with pride. And this trend should continue.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation has to devise a long-term plan to produce players of quality. It could acquire the services of former Davis Cup players who could help in finding talent. That talent could then be provided opportunities to play a maximum number of international tournaments to enhance or polish their skills. Muzamil Murtaza played the inconsequential second reverse singles against Khumoyun Sultanov. Even though he lost quite tamely, he showed that he has the talent and technique. What he needs is to be provided the support to work on his skills in an environment which will help him become a future asset for Pakistan.

The Pakistan tennis future does not look too bright at the moment, but it can change if we start working on the issues — the sooner the better.