Aisam-ul-Haq was left fuming after the ITF deemed Pakistan too unsafe to host their upcoming Davis Cup tie against India…
Pakistan’s number one tennis player, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, took to Instagram to express his disappointment over the International Tennis Federation (ITF)’s refusal to grant Pakistan hosting rights for their Davis Cup tie against India. Instead, Pakistan must propose a neutral venue and finalise it within the given time-frame. This comes a couple of months after the ITF decided to postpone the encounter due to ‘security concerns’ in the country, pushing the schedule forward from mid-September to late November.
Aisam feels that the decision reeks of discrimination against Pakistan and is exploitative of the country’s relative obscurity in the tennis world. He was quick to point out that many of the ITF’s previous rulings have also been unfavourable towards Pakistan. This setback has dashed the veteran’s hopes of welcoming his Indian counterparts amidst diplomatic tensions and using the sport to combat divisiveness.
A really shocking,embarrassing,disgraceful,sad and unfair decision by @ITF_Tennis to hold this @DavisCup tie on a neutral venue.Once again #Pakistan is getting penalised for someone else's actions. To me it's an absolute discrimination at every level. pic.twitter.com/JGXgB2mYx9
— Aisam ul Haq Qureshi (@aisamhqureshi) November 5, 2019
The ruling has left many scratching their heads given that Pakistan successfully hosted South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Iran over the last two years. With many of India’s players unwilling to travel across the border, the ITF was already feeling pressured – and those that were hoping for positive developments have been left disappointed. It’ll be the first Davis Cup match-up between the South Asian neighbours for almost 15 years, and the first time Pakistan has ‘hosted’ India since 1964.
India is currently ranked 20th in the ITF rankings, 19 places above Pakistan – and the difference in quality between the two sides is immense. They possess the likes of Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sumit Nagal on their roster, with both players in the top 150 of the ATP men’s singles rankings. Moreover, the likes of Ramkumar Ramanathan (top 200), Rohan Bopanna, and Divij Sharan, (doubles specialists; ranked in the top 50) are also available. Pakistan’s highest ranked player, Aisam-ul-Haq, is currently 51st in the ATP men’s doubles rankings.
India's @DavisCup team will travel to Pakistan for the first time in 55 years to contest their zonal tie in September.
No sporting event between the two countries has been played in Pakistan since 2007.
More: https://t.co/2ktUWyebwS pic.twitter.com/JKUgi0DPyX
— TENNIS (@Tennis) July 29, 2019
Apart from Aisam, there isn’t a single Pakistani player on the ATP Tour – with Muzammil Murtaza at 1583 and Davis Cup hero Aqeel Khan at 1471 in the rankings. Home advantage could’ve helped bridge the divide between the two sides given the players’ preference for grass courts – but alas, it wasn’t to be. If anything, a neutral venue will deprive Pakistan of local support and further amplify their struggles.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has formally appealed the decision as of November 10th, but experts believe that their chances of success are extremely slim. That being said, we hope the Pakistani team can channel their patriotic spirit and win the tie no matter where it’s played. The winner will proceed to the World Group qualifiers for 2020, and that alone should provide plenty of motivation!