Need more planning for Fed Cup preparation: Mansoor

Pakistan’s top women’s tennis player wants events to be spread evenly throughout the year

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top player Sara Mansoor hailed Pakistan Tennis Federation’s (PTF) initiative to hold more women’s tennis events but believes that they should be spread evenly across the year to keep athletes in proper shape and form.

Mansoor is part of the women’s contingent which will participate in the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group II ties next year and feels more planning needs to be put into the women’s game before it is exposed to such a major international event.

“Women’s tennis has a long way  to go,” Mansoor told The Express Tribune. “It is great that PTF is holding more tournaments but they should be spread evenly throughout the year. That would eventually help us prepare for the Fed Cup.”

Mansoor, who finished as the runner-up at the recently concluded Begun Kulsum Saifullah Asian Tennis Youth Tournament after losing to Fed Cup teammate Ushna Sohail, feels female tennis players also need proper training camps.

“We really don’t have much competition in the local circuit; there are only a handful of female players and we keep playing against each other. Although I’ve seen some new faces; and that is a good sign, but overall, we need to have better training plans and strategies if we want to compete at the Fed Cup properly.”

PTF Secretary Khalid Rehmani, meanwhile, says the federation is working to improve the women’s tennis circuit but it would take time for the results to show.

“These new tournaments are giving us new players and are the way forward. We try to have as many players in the qualifying rounds as possible. I know we haven’t seen any good results at the Fed Cup or the South Asian Games by our teams but the key is to give them an opportunity to improve themselves. For now we are trying to give them as many tournaments as possible in order to prepare for the international events,” he said.

Pakistan will be competing against Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan in July at the Fed Cup and Rehmani revealed that in addition to the Fed Cup, the team will also go for the Solidarity Games as well.