Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi only took up tennis to avoid doing homework, but now the doubles specialist is a household name back home with his exploits at the US Open and his bid to broker peace.
The 30-year-old lost in the finals of the mixed doubles on Thursday but got another shot at his first Grand Slam when he teamed up with India’s Rohan Bopanna in the men’s doubles final yesterday.
Qureshi and Bopanna have been trying to use their tennis partnership to promote more peaceful relations between India and Pakistan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The pair wear sweatshirts emblazoned with the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis” and there has been talk of a match being played across the India-Pakistan border.
“I’ve always said there’s no reason the Indians and Pakistanis can’t get along with each other,” Qureshi said .
“We always said sports can reach places where no religion or politics or politician can reach. If you can change a few people’s minds on the Indian or Pakistani side, I think it’s a great thing,” he said.
Qureshi has already given the people of Pakistan something to cheer about amid catastrophic flooding in recent months which killed more than 1,700 people.
“It’s been hard times for Pakistan especially in the last two months so to be able to help send some positive news back each day has been fantastic,” he said.
Pakistanis have also been crying out for some positive sporting news following the investigation into cricket trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for their alleged involvement in a spot-fixing scandal.
“Pakistan is a cricket-mad country so tennis cannot compete, although I’ve been trying to make it compete for 14 years,” said Qureshi, himself a massive cricket fan.
Whatever the result in yesterday’s final, Qureshi can expect to receive the sort of adulation previously reserved for cricketers when he returns to Pakistan.
Big screens have been set up across Pakistan for spectators to watch his matches while Qureshi received a call from Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani ahead of this week’s finals.
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