ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Patron Senator Dilawar Ababs has questioned the PTF management’s decision of converting Senator Dilawar Abbas PTF Tennis Complex clay courts with synthetic courts.
Talking to The Nation, Dilawar, who is also lifetime senior vice president of Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), said: “These existing five clay courts were the best available clay surface courts in Pakistan and were constructed during his eight-year tenure back in 2008 and 8 back-to-back international tournaments were held in 2008, three ITF men’s futures, two ITF women Futures and 3 ITF juniors.
“ITF gold badge referee Sultan Ghanji, who was invited by me to Pakistan on his last visit, had said about these courts at that time that these were the best courts in Pakistan. Ghanji personally placed the plastic lines on these courts, which he brought on my request. He had said that there is enough land/space available at Senator Dilawar Abbas PTF Tennis Complex to add more courts with synthetic surfaces for which he got the ground levelled at the time,” he added.
Dilawar said that Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) had promised to lay four synthetic courts adjacent to centre court, but the case is still pending despite lapse of several years. “I strongly recommend that the PTF should pursue the project with the PSB. The clay court surface is very critical for the development of players for training purposes and Pakistani players are used to the surface of clay and grass courts, that is why I suggest that instead of changing the existing clay court surface with new synthetic courts, four new courts must be added, which would be an asset of PTF in future and there is enough space available in the complex for adding new courts of any surface,” he concluded.
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