Adil Najam
Despite some reservations, there are many benefits to flying PIA. One is that you travel with other Pakistanis and invariably run into old friends and new acquantances. Last time I was flying to Islamabad I bumped into Imran Khan. This time flying in the same cabin to Karachi was tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq.
I did not know him from before, but thanks to the post ATP had carried on him – plus his over-sized tennis bag – I was able to recognize him. I went over and congratulated him on his recent performances and told him how proud we felt on his achievements. We also spoke briefly about his performance in the US Open. Which is where he was returning from.
In talking to him I found that he had not lost his last match, but instead he had to drop out of his final match because of an injury. Turns out that conceding that match also meant that his did not get to play against Federer on Center Court. What a match that would have been!
From my brief interaction with him, I found him to be someone who does actually make a great people’s ambassador for Pakistan. We wish him the best of luck. He seems ready to keep going and word on the street is that he is heading for the tennis Top 100. Good luck, Aisam!
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I wish and pray for Aisam Ul Haq to win the final.
One complaint of mine is that there is no full coverage of tennis
matches and not e
ven the final. What a pity that a Pakistani is playing in the final and it is not being covered by Pakistan TV.
Please TV sports at least show the Semi final and Finals of the
Tennis specially if there is a Pakistani playing in it. hk
AISAM UL HAQ!!!! i have no words!! he’s so great! he has made pakistan so proud! recently pakistan’s cricket team disappointed us alot but today what he has done.. its amazing! it has brought proud smiles on so many faces!! KEEP IT UP!!
I want to bring into your notice how we treat our potential role models and talents who mark their territory abroad amidst existing bad publicity for pakistan!
Last night I happend to watch Aisam-ul-Haq’s interview at GEO Sports channel [which i rarely watch] with some Naeem Rajput in a program called “batain kya baat hai?”
which is meant to clear out “apparently” rumors/controversies against the sportmen in Pakistan. NEUTRALLY!!
In this case quite grudgingly as if the host wasnt at all happy for Aisams privilaged background OR any recent viscory and was representing the tennis federation!
The entire show was an utter insult to perhaps the only tennis star of pakistan on an international map who is educated with presentable personality and talent in one go!As is popular at home with youngters as a right role model!
The program host kept driving the entire focus of the conversation towards entcing a controversy that the tennis star is never found in a pakistani court to play or coach because he is busy playing abroad to earn cash and seeking sponsership?
What I along with others fail to understand is that WHY do we have to craete these controversies that are extremely unprofessional and criticise our national heroes on national TV?
WHY should a person like AISAM-UL HAQ, who is talented and ambitious limit their own potential by playing for a politics infested so called Tennis federation being run by incompetent fools, who do not know how to keep the tennis circuit alive in paksitan nor sell or cash their talent anyway, instead of grooming themselves and getting pakistan a good repute in these horrible times?
For Aisam these are his best tennis years to play and earn a little and after he is done with this phase he has all the time in the world and the rest of his life to play locally and caoch youngsters. It seemd that the host was completely oblivious to any reality in this regard and by the end of the show the tennis star cleary seemed upset and dejected.
I highly condemn GEO TV for their dishonesty to sports and their indirect hit on pakiani talent!
Now in the arilines we can meet the popular persons of the pakistan as you meet with this guy.