Ground Reality
Aqeel Khan -
Pakistan Number 1

By Salman Ahmed

Aqeel Khan was born on 30th January 1980 in Karachi. He has been No 1 in Pakistan tennis for a couple of years and plays regularly for Pakistan Davis Cup team. He is one of the most pleasant personalities one can ever come across. He is always optimistic and lively, and such is his love for the game that he doesn't consider the constraints a hurdle in his way and continues winning one title after another. Salman Ahmed spoke to Aqeel Khan to learn a little about him.

SA: Tell Us something about your childhood?

AK: I was not a good student and never took keen interest in my studies. After grade 7, I began to lose interest in studies. I studied till 12th grade from Govt. Commerce College and then discontinued. 

SA: At what age did you develop interest in tennis and how?

AK: I started playing tennis at the age of 7. My father, Jameel khan, was and is still a tennis coach. Every time he went for coaching, I accompanied him and that's how I developed a deep interest in tennis. Tennis is in my family's blood; all my ancestors played tennis at club level but no one, not even my father played professional tennis as my brothers and I did.

SA: When did you win your first final?

AK: I won the first national ranking tournament at the age of 13, which was the ICI Tennis Championship.

SA: How many tournaments have you played till now, and how many have you won?

AK: I don't know the exact number, but in the last 7 years, out of every final I played, I lost only three finals and clinched more than 50 titles, mostly at national level, since 2001. I remained undefeated.

SA: Who is your favorite tennis icon?  Do you emulate his style?

AK: My favourite tennis icon is Boris Becker. What I emulate about his style of playing is the force with which he returns the ball to his opponent, not giving him enough time to plan a stroke.

SA: What do you think is the reason for the lack of improvement in the standard of tennis in Pakistan?

AK: We don't have academies in every city of Pakistan except for the Lahore academy. There is lack of financial support from all sectors in the country. Tennis schools and colleges are very important for the tennis playing population of Pakistan because they are relatively cheaper and affordable than club memberships.

SA: Why are some very good Pakistan tennis players unable to perform at the international level?

AK: Unlike me, most of the tennis playing population of Pakistan cannot afford private coaches, and cannot afford to travel abroad. I am lucky to have my father as my coach.

In the last 6 months, only one national ranking tournament was organized. So how can one expect the tournament participants to perform well at international level? The Pakistan Tennis Federation should organize more national ranking tournaments in order to help participants gain psychological strength to compete in international tennis.

SA: Pakistan once qualified for the Davis Cup world group play offs for the first time in tennis history and lost to Chile, which is the tennis powerhouse. After reaching the world play offs, why did Pakistan relegate to Group 3?

AK: After playing with Chile, we lost five other ties to countries like Chinese Taipei, China, India, Philippines and Pacific Oceania. For one year Pakistan ace Aisam ul Haq did not play and all the pressure fell on me, which undermined my performance. One cannot win the tie with just one victory; the team has to win at least three matches to win the tie and seal the lead. The other reason was, as I mentioned before, that we could not perform well on foreign surfaces.

SA: The neighbouring country created a hype about Sania Mirza; sponsors poured in. Why did you not receive this kind of support in Pakistan?

AK: Because, unfortunately, tennis is not as popular in Pakistan as it is in India. I did not get any support from the government and the local sponsors, though generous at times, have budget constraints.

SA: If you become the President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, what three steps would you take to save Pakistan tennis?

AK: If I were made the president of Pakistan Tennis Federation, first I would set up tennis academies in every city of Pakistan, affordable to all--poor as well as rich. Secondly, I would set up more tennis academies run by renowned coaches. Thirdly, I would organize more national as well as international tournaments in order to improve the players' performances at the international competitions. I would call for more local sponsors and broadcast all national tournament matches on television channels.

SA: What future do you predict for Pakistan tennis?

AK: I predict a brighter future for Pakistan tennis. Like India, we can make Pakistan an Asian tennis powerhouse by setting up more academies.