ISLAMABAD
\nPakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, on Tuesday said that Pakistan will host its first-ever ATP Challenger event in Islamabad this month, marking a major milestone, for the country\u2019s tennis journey.
\nSpeaking at a press conference here at the PTF Complex, he shared exciting updates about the future of tennis in Pakistan.
\nFor the first time in history, Pakistan are hosting an ATP tournament this November. The event is expected to attract top international players and will showcase Pakistan as a growing destination for professional tennis, he said.
\nCalling it a major milestone, Aisam said the event will help project a positive and progressive image of Pakistan globally.
\n\u201cHosting an ATP event is a dream come true for Pakistan tennis. It\u2019s a huge step forward for our players, our fans, and the entire sporting community. We are committed to providing world-class facilities and opportunities for our athletes,\u201d he said.
\nHe also praised the outstanding performances of Pakistan\u2019s junior players in recent ITF Tournaments held in Islamabad, noting their victories prove the growing talent pool in the country.
\nLooking ahead, the PTF President announced plans for a Covered Court Project at the PTF Tennis Complex to ensure year-round training and development opportunities for players, regardless of weather conditions.
\nAisam noted that after cricket, tennis has become the second sport in which the highest number of foreign players are now visiting Pakistan. \u201cIt is our collective responsibility to promote Pakistan\u2019s soft image around the world,\u201d he emphasized.
\nHe also expressed gratitude to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for his support in promoting tennis and resolving the long-standing lease issue of the PTF Tennis Complex.
\nHighlighting the progress of young players, Aisam said junior athletes are being actively promoted. \u201cMikaeel Ali Baig has shown remarkable performance, while Shayan Afridi has qualified for the Under-12 main round and Mikaeel for the Under-16 category for Orange Ball event,\u201d he said.
\nHe expressed optimism about the bright future of Pakistan\u2019s emerging tennis stars and their potential participation in future Grand Slam events.
\nAisam further shared that Pakistan hosted five international tournaments this year and sent twelve teams abroad for competition. \u201cNext year, we plan to organize seven ITF events in Pakistan,\u201d he revealed.
\nLooking ahead, Aisam predicted that 2026 will be a landmark and action-packed year for Pakistani tennis, adding that a professional tennis league will also be launched next year. \u201cWe are equally focused on the development of women\u2019s tennis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, on Tuesday said that Pakistan will host its first-ever ATP Challenger event in Islamabad this month, marking a major milestone, for the country\u2019s tennis journey. Speaking at a press conference here at the PTF Complex, he shared exciting updates about the future of tennis in Pakistan. For …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":89118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89120,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89111\/revisions\/89120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}