As the sun rises over the Islamabad Tennis Complex, the morning chill begins to dissipate with the fog. Overlooking the newly resurfaced competition fields, men dressed in the traditional shalwar kameez with woolen vests huddle around heaters as small plumes of steam rise from teacups. Sparrowhawks and a peregrine falcon circle lazily above as they scan the dry, dusty plains for prey.
Players warm up on the field as the crack of polo balls being struck by mallets at the nearby Polo Club rings sharply through the air. The map places us in Pakistan, part of the subcontinent of South Asia, but it feels like we are in a Rudyard Kipling novel.
This is a historic moment for Pakistani tennis as it is the first time they are hosting an ATP event of any kind. A fact not lost on a clever sponsor who titled his billboard ‘Game. Set. History’ gave.
While it is the first time that Pakistan will host an ATP Challenger Tour event, it is also the last chance of the year for players hungry for those valuable PIF ATP Ranking points. On the Challenger Tour, every point is invaluable, as a single point can be the deciding factor for direct entry into the main draw of an ATP Tour event.
Strangely enough, there is one player in the main draw who is not trying to improve his ATP PIF ranking, namely Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Qureshi is both the host and star of this week’s show and that also happens to be his curtain call. This will be his last tournament in a career that has lasted more than 25 years.
“I have inner peace with tennis,” Qureshi claimed. “Like all tennis players, I would have liked to win more matches, but I know I gave tennis my very best. Now I am so blessed to have a new purpose. My mission is to develop tennis in Pakistan and help other Pakistanis reach the ATP Tour. This ATP Challenger, while it may be yet another stop on the tennis tour for the players, is the cornerstone of our future foundation.”
For his final tournament, Qureshi will not be paired with his old partner, Aqeel Khan, but with Muzammil Murtaza.
“Aqeel and I have had our time in the spotlight,” Qureshi said. “We have had many great memories together. Now it is time to give the youngsters the opportunity to play with the big boys.”
An important part of any tournament that often goes unnoticed are the ball boys. This week they were nothing short of fantastic. Pretty impressive how they can catch a booming first serve barehanded with such grace and confidence. I guess if you grow up on a cricket field, catching a tennis ball is easy.
“As players, we often travel from tournament to tournament without realizing the criteria, details and effort that goes into organizing an event,” Qureshi continued. “Especially for the first time. There is a huge amount of work, but the reward and the positive impact that having an ATP event will have on Pakistani tennis is so worth the stress.”
The end of a man’s professional tennis career does not come about suddenly, but rather slowly, as the legs begin to quietly weaken over time. He can no longer stoop low and control the ball with the same force as before, or shoot up and explode into a kick second serve in the final set.
The heart is willing, but the legs are defiant. While the fans shout emphatically for another roar, the player knows deep down that the end is near.
That’s exactly what happened in the first round when Qureshi and Murtaza faced three match points against Timofei Derepasko and Ivan Gretskiy 6-7, 4-5, 15/40 in the first round.
Throughout his career, the first serve has been Qureshi’s greatest weapon, the one shot that always came through in the clutch. Not so today. For it was his protégé, Murtaza, who stepped up when it mattered most, hitting three great first serves to save the match points. The Pakistanis would triumph 10-7 in the Match Tie-break. Sometimes tennis rewards the faithful with another chance to play the game when all seems lost.
That big serve from Murtaza marked a pivotal moment when the tennis baton was passed from one generation to the next.
Now the ancient Jacaranda trees that line Islamabad’s boulevards are in the grip of winter and their limbs are dull and withered. Soon spring will arrive and bright, blooming purple flowers will come to life, filling the branches with nature’s signal of new beginnings and growth. That is exactly Tennis Pakistan’s hope and expectation from this ATP Challenger Tour tournament. As for Qureshi, he has run his race. And he finished well.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
#Pakistani #Qureshi #goodbye #peace