Aisam ready to test his luck at the French Open

The 35-year-old eyes first-ever Grand Slam after ending year-long trophy drought.

KARACHI: After winning his first title of the season at the Aix-en-Provence ATP 250 Challenger Championship in France last week, Pakistan’s tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi sets his eyes on a higher target — namely the French Open doubles title.

Aisam, who was paired up with Holland’s Robin Haase and defeated America’s Nicholas Monroe and New Zealand’s Artem Sitak 6-1, 6-2 on clay, said he was relieved of ending his year-long drought and would keep on working to improve his rankings. “It feels great to have finally won the first title in over a year,” Aisam told The Express Tribune. “Although it’s a small event, it’s a big step in moving up the rankings.”

But after a three-day rest, Aisam will be back on court in Spain, training with former coach Robert Davis again to ensure that he performs at his best at the Roland Garros.

“Preparations are going well,” said Aisam. “I needed a break for a few days, but now I’m focusing on nothing except the French Open.”

Aisam, who would not be joining forces with Haase in the French Open and would instead pair with Luxemburg’s Giles Muller, said that he has learned throughout the year to work with different partners, adding that finding a steady partner has been a challenge due to his rankings this year. “So far this year, I’ve had eight or nine partners,” said the Lahore-based player. “I’ve had different partners in every big event due to my rankings and it hasn’t been easy to gel with everybody, but now I’m getting used to it,” said Aisam, who is currently ranked 40 in the ATP doubles’ individual ranking.

However, despite the challenge of not having steady partners, the odds are not deterring Aisam from his goal of finishing the year among the top 10 players of the world and winning his first Grand Slam. “I’m working harder. I’m going back to the basics and I’m hoping to do all the right things to finish the year among the top players of the world,” concluded Aisam.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th,  2015.

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