by Muhammad Shafique
ISLAMABAD, Jun 6 (APP):Pakistan’s rising tennis star Huzaifa Abdul Rehman has underlined that his ultimate goal is to contend on a Grand Slam court, expressing hopes to reach to that level in the next three to four years.
The promising teenager has already started his journey to the higher echelons with his recent impressive outings at ITF Futures in Orange Park Florida, USA.
Early last month, he made to the semifinals of the men’s doubles along with his partner Timothy Phung (USA). The twosome dispatched 4th seeds Elijah Srode and Tennyson Whiting (USA) in the 1st round. In the quarterfinal, they defeated Alexander Del Corral and Jake Van Emburgh (USA). However, in the semi-finals, they fell to 2nd seeds Vasil Kirkov (USA) and Roy Stepanov(Canada). However, Huzaifa earned four coveted officials ATP points to break into doubles rankings, obtaining 1853 ATP slot. Currently, he is the second Pakistani player, who is present in ATP doubles rankings. The other Pakistan player in the prestigious list is veteran Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, whose current standing is 102.
In ITF Singles Futures Tour, Huzaifa overpowered Kaylan Bigun (USA), currently No. 23 in ITF Juniors in the 1st round. However, he lost in the pre-quarter to Nanda Govind (USA), a top 400 ATP player. Currently, Huzaifa with three points is the only Pakistan player, who is present in ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, where he sits at 1397.
Huzaifa is ecstatic with his performance and believes he is well on course to move up on the ATP Tour.
“If everything goes according to the plan, I hope I will be playing in one of the Grand Slams in the next three to four years. That is my target as well as dream and I hope it will come true,” the 20-year-old, who is training at Next Generation Tennis Academy (NGTA) Sarasota, Florida said while sharing his sentiments with APP on phone.
“I know there are no shortcuts and I will have to move step by step to reach to my
ultimate ambition. Hence, I have set a target for myself. Initially, I am aiming to appear in the ATP Challenger Tour to move into 1,000 rankings in a year. Then I will be trying to join the list of top 500 players in next two years. Finally, of course I will be trying to break into top 200 to be able to contest in Grand Slam tournaments,” he added.
The burgeoning talent of Huzaifa is also evident from the fact that in the recently-held tennis event of the 34th National Games, he earned one gold and two silver medals. Unseeded Huzaifa advanced to Men’s Singles final after toppling the 5th seed Mohammad Abid in the quarterfinalp and 2nd seed Mohammad Shoaib in the semifinal.
In the final, he made Pakistan No. 1 Aqeel Khan toil hard to win. After the epic battle that continued for two hours and 15 minutes, Aqeel admitted that he played the best tennis of his career to overcome the young gun.
However, Huzaifa feels that his upward journey in tennis will not be a smooth sailing as where on the hand he will have to beat the best of the best, on the other he will have to search for the ways to meet his expenses.
“Tennis is a very competitive as well expensive sport. I believe I can excel in the game provided I have the required financial resources.
“It is true the game’s elite players earn millions each year but for players, who are at the outset of their professional career, the situation is quite different. We have to bear expenses on training equipments, apparel, travelling and accommodation.
“My parents have been backing me and investing in me. But it is not easier for them anymore now.
According to Huzaifa’s father, Muhammad Faisal, BARD Foundation sponsored Huzaifa from March 2022 to March 2023 to help him pursue his dream. “It helped him a lot to gain his ATP points and progress as a professional tennis player.
“He has the potential to shine at the top level. But you know for reaching to the summit one requires all the necessary tools,” he said while referring to the scarcity of sponsorships.
Travis Eckert, the head of Florida’s NGTA where Huzaifa has been training for the last three years told APP that the youngster had the mentality and skills of a top tennis player.
“He is a fabulous talent but lacks experience, but I hope he will improve with more exposure.
“It was his first year on professional circuit and he became the only Pakistani in ATP Singles Rankings. I believe it’s a huge accomplishment in such a short span of time.
“He is on on track to be among top 500 in a year or so,” he added.
