National, provincial events must to explore new talent

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan have very bright chances to win against South Korea in the crucial Davis Cup tie starting from July 8, as the boys got excellently prepared and it was more than satisfactory that they would perform very well. This was stated by Jalil Riaz, the US-based Pakistani coach, in an exclusive interview with TheNation on Monday. He said he would give '95 out of 100 marks' to the boys, as they picked whatever they had been told and their mental and physical fitness was beyond expectations. Jalil, who was hired by the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) to give training to Davis Cup squad consisting Aisam-ul-Haq, Aqeel Khan, Samir Iftikhar and Yasir Khan, said that, "for me although Aisam is the key person and a lot depends on how he performs but Aqeel holds the key for Pakistan as far as his progress is concerned." It is true that Pakistan had never beaten South Korea at their own soil but this is the best time to carve the history, he said adding that the players were more than capable of doing this. He added that they knew only two out of four players took active part in the tie and Pakistan had got extra edge of being Aisam and Aqeel at their side and Samir and Yasir are also no mug with the rackets and if required they will also be more then handy for their country. Talking about the future of Pakistan tennis, Jalil said these two top players are fast reaching the twilight of their careers and there is an urgent need to find replacements before it's too late. "I suggest and strongly recommend the PTF to hold weekly national and provincial tournaments on regular basis without prize money, balls and other stuffs for the players, as this will go a long way to groom and find grassroots talent." He said the main reason for accepting coaching Under-14 and Under-18 kids was to help the federation in best possible way as he had the long experience of both national and international levels. On Monday about 16 kids attended the camp. "I have already picked four of them as they are too good and with proper training and physical fitness they will soon be able to gather momentum and through the passage of time will start to pay back the confidence of the Federation which was showed in them." Jalil specially mentioned the names of M Abid, Usman Raffique, Faizan Khurrum and Hamza Bin Asif as the boys to look after and the future of Pakistan. He was full of praise for Mudassar and Muzamil two brothers from Jahanian who were also mentioned in his report by Indian coach Birbal Wadhera and described them as the future of Pakistan tennis. Jalil Riaz will leave Islamabad on July 15 but will remain with the kids till then and continue to find raw talent and try to enhance their skills.

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