Shoaib Khan dreams of emulating Djokovic

14-year-old aims high despite limited resources in his native Peshawar

KARACHI: Emerging tennis starlet Shoaib Khan was considered an unfancied opponent in most tournaments he took part in until his recent giantslaying acts in local tennis circuit got him noticed.

The 14-year-old from Peshawar yesterday edged out Aqib Umer 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the U18 event in the HASCOL National Ranking Tennis Championships. One round earlier, he had knocked out fifth-seed Barkatullah.

The twin wins follow his recent triumphs over the likes of top seed Muzammil Murtaza in an U16 event, and former Asian number one U14 player Syed Nofil Kaleem.



Some of his wins have come from a position of deficit, and Shoaib believes it is down to his never-say-die attitude and the fact that he never forgets a defeat.

“I think I can win the ongoing tournament because I know most of the players and I like to win against those who have defeated me in previous tournaments,” Shoaib told The Express Tribune.

“I recover very quickly from a bad set or a bad game. When I lose the first set, I begin the next set as if I am playing a new match altogether.”



He further revealed that he practices at Peshawar’s Qayyum Stadium where only one of the two courts is useable.

“We go to Qayyum Stadium after school, but I can’t practice there for as long as I should, since there are other players too, so we all get around 20 to 30 minutes each. It’s a little tough to train there,” complained Shoaib.

But despite the lack of resources, Shoaib is determined to make a career out of tennis and emulate the likes of his idol Aqeel Khan, or even Novak Djokovic. “Djokovic is my favourite player, while in Pakistan I idolise Aqeel, because he also plays doublehanded like me,” said Shoaib.



Pakistan Tennis Federation secretary Khalid Rehmani has also taken notice of Shoaib’s exploits and tipped him for a great future, provided that he can gain a few pounds.

“Shoaib is a talented player and hails from squash legend Jahangir Khan’s family. He is mentally strong too, but we want him to put on some weight,” said Rehmani.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2016.

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