'We need to lift the image of Pakistan'

Aisamul Haq Qureshi is determined to lift the image of the country throughout the world with tennis.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s ace tennis player Aisamul Haq Qureshi, who reached remarkable heights this year in tennis tournaments as well as off the court by spreading the message of peace, is determined to lift the image of the country throughout the world.

"The image of Pakistan has deteriorated in the world and I feel it my duty to soften the image of Pakistan. It has been an honour for me to be able to better the image of Pakistan and I consider it my duty to do so it in future as well," Aisam told PPI.

He said that he feels every Pakistani, be it sportspersons, actors or politicians, should try to lift the image of the country, which has been broadcasted as a breeding place for extremism.

"We need to lift the image of the country from every platform we could reach. We are a peace loving nation and we should reach the people of the world with the message of peace," he said.

Aisam and his Indian teammate Rohan Bopanna, dubbed as the 'Indo-Pak Express,’ have been making waves all over the tennis world with their performance at the 2010 US Open tournament.

Apart from reaching the finals of the event against top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan, they also drew a lot of positive media attention for their superhuman efforts to put together a working relationship between their countries.

Their efforts and slogan, ‘Stop War, Start Tennis’ recently earned them the prestigious Arthur Ashe award as well.