Aisam Qureshi: I would love to partner with Roger Federer in doubles one day

Pakistani tennis ace Aisam Qureshi says that he would love to partner Roger Federer in doubles some day and added that Rafael Nadal is a player that he would like to avoid playing.

During an online conference with the media, the former US Open men's doubles finalist Qureshi commented, "Roger Federer is a complete player and my favorite, I would love to partner him with one day. Nadal, on the other hand, is also a dangerous player and can make one struggle on court."

Qureshi also said that he wanted to team up with India's Sania Mirza for mixed doubles but their partnership did not pan out due to the fears of controversy. "I sense that it was because of a possible fear of any unnecessary controversy. With Boppana, I had my best men's doubles partnership and we were known as Indo-Pak express."

The 40 year old former Top 10 player added that he wants to win a Grand Slam doubles title before he retires.  "The US Open final was something that I could have won. If there's any result I can undo today, it would be that game. That moment should have changed the face of tennis in Pakistan. But the PTF and the government didn't do much. I am not against cricket, cricketers deserve what they're getting but the government and corporates must not neglect sportspersons who are doing good in other sports."

The current World No. 50 also said that Pakistan needs to improve their tennis infrastructure before hosting any international tennis events.  "We need to have some infrastructure before inviting the top players. We can also turn cricket stadiums into make-shift tennis courts. If these top players can come to India then there is no reason why they wouldn't come to Pakistan. But to have anything like that, we need support from the government and the sponsors."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3cxkoCm