Sara Mansoor secures coveted ITF certification

Tennis player opens new avenues for women's players

KARACHI: Sara Mansoor wants more women to follow her lead after she became the first Pakistani women's tennis player to get the International Tennis Federation (ITF) level II coaching certification.

Mansoor, ranked the top women's tennis player in the country, captained the Pakistan women’s team at the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat and has also been a regular in the Fed Cup team.

After her latest experience, the 29-year-old feels it's about time the women's game levels up.

“It is huge for me to get this certification,” Mansoor told The Express tribune. “It required a lot of work and was not easy because it was 12 days of rigorous tests. I had to go to Iran for it and then our level III coaches in Pakistan also took my exams. I had to work really hard. There were so many things we were not even aware of in terms of tennis, the technicalities and the strategies.”

Mansoor believes the course will not only help her coaching but also improve her game.

“With this course I can improve as a player too," she said. "I’m still watching videos for techniques. We are generally not trained to win matches, but with this course I feel I've gained valuable knowledge,” said Mansoor.

Mansoor is of the opinion that coaching is belittled in Pakistan and wants more female players to try their hand at tennis coaching.

“Coaching is generally considered an easy thing, like you are just telling the players how to tackle the ball but it’s about building a player, about developing new talent," she said. "We need growth in this field too. I know that women can benefit with more female coaches and I feel this is just a beginning."

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tennis Federation President Salim Saifullah Khan has congratulated Mansoor, saying: “I am delighted that Sara Mansoor has secured this coveted ITF certification. As the first Level 2 female coach in Pakistan, she has not only made history, the achievement will also provide an incentive to other women in the country to pursue what has now become a career of choice internationally."