‘I need tougher competition to improve’
Pakistan’s tennis star Aqeel to train in Sri Lanka for Davis Cup.
KARACHI:
Disappointed by the Pakistan Tennis Federation’s (PTF) failure to act upon its new policy of sending players abroad for training, Aqeel Khan has left for Sri Lanka on his own to practice for the Davis Cup tie against Singapore in July.
Khan has decided to train with Sri Lanka’s top player Harsha Godamana for two weeks before returning to the country to join the Davis Cup camp which will be coached by the Jalil Riaz.
“I need to play against better players in order to improve my game and Sri Lanka is the only place where I can practice in such short time,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “I’ve played the domestic season and won all the six tournaments and that proves that there isn’t much competition around. I need to practice with better players to stay physically fit and keep up with the techniques.”
Meanwhile, Khan claimed that earlier the PTF had promised him a three-week training session in either India or the US but the federation did not provide him with the documents required to acquire the visa.
However, PTF Secretary Mumtaz Yousuf claimed that if Khan had informed the federation before leaving for Sri Lanka, he would have received financial support from the PTF.
“Khan didn’t share his plans with the federation at all,” said Mumtaz. “Had he been a little patient, the federation could have arranged a separate training session for him in Pakistan since it has been too late to apply for US and India.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2011.
Disappointed by the Pakistan Tennis Federation’s (PTF) failure to act upon its new policy of sending players abroad for training, Aqeel Khan has left for Sri Lanka on his own to practice for the Davis Cup tie against Singapore in July.
Khan has decided to train with Sri Lanka’s top player Harsha Godamana for two weeks before returning to the country to join the Davis Cup camp which will be coached by the Jalil Riaz.
“I need to play against better players in order to improve my game and Sri Lanka is the only place where I can practice in such short time,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “I’ve played the domestic season and won all the six tournaments and that proves that there isn’t much competition around. I need to practice with better players to stay physically fit and keep up with the techniques.”
Meanwhile, Khan claimed that earlier the PTF had promised him a three-week training session in either India or the US but the federation did not provide him with the documents required to acquire the visa.
However, PTF Secretary Mumtaz Yousuf claimed that if Khan had informed the federation before leaving for Sri Lanka, he would have received financial support from the PTF.
“Khan didn’t share his plans with the federation at all,” said Mumtaz. “Had he been a little patient, the federation could have arranged a separate training session for him in Pakistan since it has been too late to apply for US and India.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2011.