Davis Cup: ‘Historical tie’ will nurture Indo-Pak relations

Islamabad, January 30

Pakistan has paid a huge price in the absence of international sporting events in the last decade, and the tennis fraternity is hoping that the arrival of the Indian Davis Cup team for the “historic tie” will inject fresh enthusiasm and provide a big boost to the game in the country.

Ali to double up as non-playing captain

Islamabad: India coach Zeeshan Ali will double up as the non-playing captain of the national Davis Cup team in its historic tie against Pakistan scheduled on February 2 and 3 here after Rohit Rajpal failed to travel with the side due to personal reasons. It has been learnt that Rajpal didn’t travel to Pakistan due to a medical issue in the family. PTI

The last time an Indian Davis Cup team travelled to Pakistan was back in 1964. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) was not keen on sending its team this year too, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rejected its appeal and said categorically that there is no reason to believe that the Indian players will face any security concerns in Pakistan.

The reactions of Pakistan’s top players, Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, best summed up the excitement. They are even hoping that this tie could pave the way for the arrival of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan.

“We are very, very excited and happy, finally the Indian Davis Cup team is here. I have always believed that we should keep politics, religion, culture away from sports. That’s the beauty of the sport and being a sportsman. I have always vouched for that,” Aisam, the only Pakistan player competing on the ATP Tour, said. “For me it’s the most historical tie, probably. I am super excited to be part of it. I think it is going to promote tennis in Pakistan, definitely.”

Aqeel firmly believes that this tie is different from other matches. “When India is here, media gets involved, fans get more excited and I am sure there is huge interest among sponsors also because more people will follow. It will help Pakistan tennis overall because it will popularise the game further. Tennis is not that popular here, so playing against India should fill that gap,” he said.