Aisam confirmed on Monday that he is charged up for the upcoming season after a rough year.
“I have to somehow find the positives to carry on so I’m upbeat about the next season,” Aisam told The Express Tribune. “I’ll be going to Cambodia on December 26 and train with my coach, Robert Davis. Then I’ll begin the Doha Open from January 5 with Zimonjic.”
Aisam partnered with India’s Rohan Bopanna this year but the duo parted ways as they failed to reproduce the same level of success they had in 2011.
The 34-year-old will begin training in Lahore on December 1 before flying out to Cambodia. He said that he took the decision to train in Cambodia as Davis is based there, and it will help to get used to the climate before heading to Australia. “Many European players will be training there and I’ll be able to practice with them,” he said. “Plus the weather in Australia will be hot and humid, so this will help me acclimatise with the conditions.”
Despite raring to go, Aisam is currently not practising due to an injury. “I’ve picked up an injury while I was playing football so I’ve been recovering for the past one week and will do so for another before I start practicing again,” said Aisam.
The Lahore-based player said he trains for four to five hours every day, and his aim is to have more quality than quantity. “I want to give a quality performance and now it trumps quantity, in a way that I want to win more tournaments, so I’m practising hard,” said Aisam. “Teaming up with Zimonjic is a very big thing. He has won the ATP titles and is extremely experienced. He called me up and we decided to play together, he's won grand slams in his career, so I’m quite excited.”
Aisam added that he wants to begin his next season on a high with a partner like Zimonjic, who has won 53 ATP titles so far in his career and earlier played with Canada’s Daniel Nestor.
After a tough 2014, Aisam said that he wants to prove his critics wrong as he looks forward to playing in Doha, then in the Sydney Open and Rotterdam next year.
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