In an upcoming tennis face-off that promises to capture global attention, India and Pakistan are slated to compete in the World Group I Play-offs. Interestingly, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) announced on Thursday their firm stance on not moving their home tie to a neutral venue for this showdown.
The two nations were previously pitted against each other in 2019. However, citing "security concerns," the tie was relocated to Kazakhstan, serving as a neutral ground. This decision had led to Pakistan's ace players, Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, boycotting the tie in a mark of protest. Consequently, Pakistan fielded a relatively inexperienced team including Mohammed Shoaib, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman, and Yousaf Khalil, resulting in India's commanding 4-0 victory. Notably, in that contest, Pakistan could secure only seven games in total.
While the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had acquiesced to the venue shift in 2019, convincing them this time around might be a tall order for the All India Tennis Association (AITA), especially if the national federation is insistent on a neutral ground.
Aqeel Khan, a stalwart in Pakistani tennis, expressed optimism to PTI about the Indian team making the journey to Pakistan. Highlighting their recent triumph, he mentioned Pakistan's 4-0 victory over Indonesia in Islamabad on their home grass courts, where Khan clinched both a singles and a doubles match.
"I hope they come and give us a chance to host," Aqeel said.
Salim Saifullah Khan, the PTF President, confirmed Pakistan's plan to host the match against India on their favored grass court. Should the Indian team decide to participate in Pakistan, it would mark the first Davis Cup team's expedition across the border in a staggering 59 years, making it only the third such occurrence in the history of this team event.
"They should come to Pakistan. It's not fair that they do not come to Pakistan. The Indian team is much better than us. We have a beautiful hotel just across the stadium. If Indians come it will send a good message that we are good neighbours," Saifullah Khan told PTI.
Highlighting the long-standing tennis rivalry, India's inaugural Davis Cup journey to Pakistan took place in 1962, under the leadership of Ramanathan Krishan. While Pakistan has crossed borders to compete in India on three occasions, their Davis Cup track record remains unblemished, with India undefeated in their eight meetings.
"We have hosted Lithuania, Slovekia, Korea, Iran, Thailand. All these countries have come and there have been no issues," Saifullah said.
"We won't play on a neutral venue. If India does not want to come, we will not play this tie. We will play on grass courts and the Indians are a better team. And in February-March, the weather is lovely in Islamabad," he added.
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(With PTI inputs, powered by AI)
