As Aisam gears up to begin the ATP doubles season with Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic, he will take Aqeel along for the season-opening event and then the first grand slam of the new year.
The move will eventually serve Pakistan as the duo will be playing the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group II opening tie against Kuwait in March.
“I’ll be joining Aisam as a hitting partner,” Aqeel told The Express Tribune. “It’s something which I’m excited about as I’ll get to practice as much as I can with Aisam. I’ll be leaving for the tour on January 1.”
The Karachi-based player further added that his main objective for this venture was to gain valuable training for the Davis Cup, which is the biggest tennis tournament for Pakistan.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is considering holding the home tie on the clay courts of Sri Lanka. Since Pakistan is rated Grade IV in terms of security with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), no foreign team is willing to visit the country for any event.
Aqeel feels that conditions in Sri Lanka will be tough for both the hosts and Kuwait.
“Playing on the clay courts is going to be difficult for Kuwait and it won’t be easy for us either,” said the 34-year-old. “The weather conditions in Sri Lanka are tough. It’s hot and humid there even in March. However, we decided to take the opportunity, because at least we’ll be bringing Kuwait out of their comfort zone.”
He added that he will be playing an ITF tournament in Colombo in February.
“I want to play in Sri Lanka before the Davis Cup tie,” said Aqeel. “Playing a tournament is the best way of practicing for Davis Cup tie.”
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