ISLAMABAD - Defending champion Hameed-ul-Haq has pulled out from the Asian Seniors Tennis Championship due to lack of help from the countries tennis authorities. The tournament was scheduled to be held from November 17 to 23 at Bangkok, Thailand. The 46-year-old former Davis Cup captain announced his withdrawal on Thursday complaining that the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) was not ready to sponsor him for this trip. Ranked 42 in the world among seniors, Hameed had planned to compete in the Asian Seniors Tennis Championship in Bangkok where he won both the 40 and 45 singles competitions last year. "I was keen on defending my crown but the indifferent attitude of the authorities has put me off," Hameedul Haq said in his statement adding that it was not the first time he had been meted out such treatment. Hameed only last month returned from Turkey where he took part in the 28th World Individual Seniors Championship. That trip of his was sponsored by Osman Asghar Khan of EMC Information Systems (Pvt) Limited. However on his return, Hameed said he did not have time enough to approach private sponsorship. He sent to letters to the Pakistan Tennis Federation but no response came from the authorities. "I am angered that although the sports bosses claim they are striving to promote sports, I have seen no evidence of that," said the champion who has been the longest serving Pakistan Davis Cup player. Hameed stressed that it was because of such practices that Pakistan today stands nowhere in events like the Asian, Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Hameed further said that the country had not been able to produce a quality player in the past eight years. "It is a pity that even today, the officials have no elaborate development programme and are just sticking to their seats doing nothing," he said. A recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance, Hameed explained that tennis was at the lowest ebb only because no money was being set aside for the players and coaches. Hamid also wrote to Pakistan Sports Trust, a body that bailed out cash-starved Pakistan snooker squad and ensured the cueists participation in World Championship. When contacted, an official of the PST said that their priority was to invest whatever meager resources they had on youth.