Pakistani teen to pursue professional tennis career

Zoha Asim says she wants to become a role model for young Muslim girls all over the world

Pakistani teen, Zoha Asim was the talk of the tennis scene in UAE in April this year when she won her first major international title, the ATF 14 and under Tennis Championship, held in Islamabad.

Now, the 14-year-old resident from Sharjah, UAE said she hopes to pursue a career as a professional tennis player and become a role model for young Muslim girls all over the world. “I want to become a world number one champion representing Pakistan, and I also want to become an inspiration for all the Muslim girls out there in the entire world telling them that if they set their minds to something they can achieve it,” Zoha said.

Zoha is well aware of how girls from her native Karachi are held back due to cultural and societal pressures and she intends to change that.



Her mother, Zaufishan, also believes in her daughter’s dedication and hard work, which changed her own family’s view on sports outside of cricket. “I see that how much she is putting in her game, so she keeps me motivated to actually think about her and think about her future in tennis as well,” Zaufishan said.

Zoha trains five hours a day, with the exception of Fridays, and balances her family life and academics despite the pressure of the high expectations pinned on her.



Her coach Jumayy, who has been training her for the past two years, said he was not surprised by Zoha’s ATF win. “I have been working with Zoha for two years now and she has improved her game a lot. All these achievements are coming to her because she is a real hard worker. She is very dedicated and she wants to succeed, so what she did in Islamabad didn’t surprise me at all,” Jumayy said.

Jumayy believes that if she remains this dedicated to the sport, there is no telling how far Zoha can go in the game.

This article originally appeared on Sports 360