Tennis: Women’s camp to take place without top players

Pakistan’s top three tennis players will miss training by Indian coach.

KARACHI: While the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) made extra efforts to rope in an Indian coach to train the female players as well as the youth, it emerged that the country’s top three players Sarah Mehboob, Ushna Suhail and Saba Aziz will not be taking part in the camp due to various reasons.

The PTF has hired Birbal Wadhera to train top five female players, under-18 boys and five junior players during a 45-day camp in Lahore that is due to commence from May 10. The PTF Secretary Mumtaz Yousuf also confirmed that the Indian coach was especially called to train the female players so that they can benefit from his experience before participating in different international tournaments.

However, Suhail has left for the US to train with the Maryland Tennis Academy while Mehboob and Aziz have decided to concentrate on their studies during May.

“I have the opportunity to train in US as the best female players are trained there,” Ushna told The Express Tribune. “Wadhera’s camp is clashing with my trip that I scheduled two months ago and I’d prefer training in the US because the facilities are much better.

Meanwhile, Aziz has taken a two-month break from the sport and Mehboob has also cancelled her tour of India for the ITF Futures scheduled to take place in June.

The PTF, however, will try and convince the duo to attend the camp on alternative days while also planning to arrange a separate camp for women.

“We will try to resolve this situation,” said PTF Vice-President Irshad Bhatti. “Suhail has left for the US so we can’t do much about that but we’ll try and get the other two to attend the camp for at least a week. Otherwise Wadhera will train the juniors and under-18 boys during the camp.”



Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2011.