Pakistan faces a difficult task in qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in tennis because no Pakistani player has a singles ranking in the top 1000.
Although Aisam-ul-Haq has a current doubles ranking of 88, there is no other player in the top 1,000, making it impossible to qualify as a doubles team based on combined rankings.
Sports analyst, Hammad-ul-Haq, said that there are still possibilities if Aqeel and Aisam play as a team in the Asian Games or if Aisam makes it to the top 10 in the doubles ranking.
According to the criteria, the main qualifying criteria for the Olympics will be the ATP men’s and WTA women’s rankings of players.
The rankings on 10th June 2024 will serve as the cut-off point, and the performances in the 52 weeks prior to the cut-off date will determine who qualifies.
Hammad added that 90% of players will be selected based on their singles and doubles rankings, while the remaining 10% will mainly be given to winners of continental championships and past Grand Slam winners.
Former Secretary of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Asif Dar, has blamed the national tennis authority for the non-qualification of Pakistani tennis players.
Asif Dar said that Pakistan has potential in tennis, and parents are ready to spend resources, but nobody is there to guide them, so they get disappointed after some time.
Source: Pro Pakistani