ISLAMABAD
Pakistan's longest serving No 1 tennis player Aqeel Khan has said that receiving the Pride of Performance award from Governor Sindh on behalf of President Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain is like a dream come true for him.
Talking to The Nation Wednesday, Aqeel said: “It is a matter of pride for me to receive the reward for which I have been waiting since long. My services were duly recognised and I can't express my feelings and emotions in words. I am thankful to Almighty, my parents, especially my father, who always supported us and remained at our side through thick and thin, former PTF president Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, who recommended my name for the award, Dr Nazir Saeed, who also lent a helping hand and always supported me.”
“I am the only player to get the award during my playing career. Though I had given hope of getting the award during my playing days, as for the last several years, despite giving my all-out and helping Pakistan in winning a number of Davis Cup ties, I was completely ignored in the past, which was hurting, as I had given more than 17 years to tennis and I was expecting better treatment from government, yet now I am quite satisfied and thinking positively. I want to request the president and prime minister to please acknowledge sportsmen’s services and reward them timely which will help the country a great deal in getting a number of future stars in all the sporting fields,” he added.
“I would also request to Inter Sports Coordination (IPC) ministry and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to reward favourite sons and daughters of soil with incentives and give them due respect. I am quite sure sportsmen will not let the nation down and play out their hearts to win medals in return,” he urged.
Aqeel said: “With this encouraging reward, I am feeling young once again and ready to serve the country for more years with more dedication and devotion. It is dream come true for me as when I was young, I used to watch former greats receiving awards for outstanding performances in different fields and was unaware, one day I would also be receiving such an honorable reward.”
“I have long requested the CDA and Sindh chief minister to allocate a piece of land where I could construct a state-of-the-art tennis academy. Despite having lucrative offers from various countries, I have decided just to serve the country of my berth which gave me recognition, name and fame in and outside the country. I am committed to help it by providing some bright tennis players who will serve it and earn laurels for it,” he added.
“Age is fast catching both Aisam and me, and there is a dire need to produce a lot which may fill our void. I urge the PTF president to help me establishing an academy, which can be a great help to the federation in the days to come. If no heed is paid to my request, I will be left with no other option, but to apply my trade somewhere else which will be a great loss for the country. I don't want to work for others, rather just want to serve my country but for which I will be needing proper cooperation and assistance of government and federation,” Aqeel concluded.