LAHORE -Former Pakistan Davis Cup captain, Rashid Malik, expressed his grati­tude towards the Sports Board Pun­jab (SBP) for organizing the highly successful SBP High-Performance Tennis Training Camp, set to con­clude on September 8 here at the SBP Tennis Academy in Nishtar Park. 

Malik, a recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, praised the efforts of both the SBP and Secretary of Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab, Shahid Za­man, for introducing the SBP High- Performance Camp for the first time. He highlighted the dedication of coaches and players, who per­severed through six weeks of chal­lenging weather conditions. Malik also advocated for the continuation of such camps in the future. He also lauded the role of Advisor to CM Punjab Wahab Riaz and DG Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail in promoting sports across the province. 

In his role as the Secretary Gen­eral of the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA), Malik em­phasized the world-class status of the SBP Tennis Academy and announced upcoming national and international tournaments. Among them are the McDonald’s Junior National Tennis Champion­ship 2023, Sheikhoo Steel Pakistan Open Tennis Championship 2023, 7th Sheheryar Malik Memorial Pakistan Open Tennis Champion­ship 2023, and Aitchison College Junior National Tennis Champion­ship 2023, all scheduled for September and October. 

Further­more, Malik discussed plans to host the ITF Fu­tures in Paki­stan next year at the state-of-the-art SBP Tennis Academy, with the full support of Shahid Zaman, ensuring that this in­ternational event will be executed in a groundbreaking manner. 

Secretary Sports Punjab, Shahid Zaman, also pledged to continue the Junior Tennis Initiative Pro­gram throughout the year. This ini­tiative aims to discover and nurture young talents under the age of 10 from across the province. 

Highly qualified coaches from the Sports Board Punjab will pro­vide training and mentorship, while participants will have op­portunities to showcase their skills in provincial and national tournaments, with the goal of shaping them into future cham­pions and international stars, who can bring laurels to Pakistan. The Secretary Sports applauded Rashid Malik’s lifelong dedication to tennis and his role in produc­ing champions for the nation. He commended Malik’s unrelenting commitment to finding and nur­turing tennis talent, with the hope of achieving further international success for Pakistan.