ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Tennis Federation would hold four Asian tennis tour men’s professional tournaments this year, it was announced in the PTF?annual general meeting here at Senator Dilawar Abbas PTF Tennis Complex on Tuesday.
PTF president Salim Saifullah Khan chaired the meeting, while patron Syed Dilawar Abbas, senior executive vice president Iftikhar Rashid and other members of the management committee and representatives of the PTF affiliated units also attended the meeting.
In was conveyed in the house that Pakistan would hold four Asian tennis tour men’s professional tournaments this year, as two would be held by Islamabad Tennis Association and two by the PTF, and each leg would have $5000 as prize money as per ATF policies.
The house was also informed that PTF president and Senator Dilawar Abbas, who is also Asian Tennis Federation senior vice president, will attend the AGM of the ATF in Delhi next month.
The PTF and all affiliated units presented their annual activity reports and forthcoming events’ calendar for the remaining three months of 2016.
Salim Saifullah announced that the ‘Best Performance Trophy’ would be awarded annually to the unit showing the best performance during the year in terms of tennis events and development activities during the annual function to be organised for this.
The PTF chief informed the house that the federation was working hard to raise funds to develop the infrastructure at the Senator Dilawar Abbas PTF Complex, both in the form of new additions, such as a swimming pool, a state of the art gymnasium while the existing courts and other facilities would be renovated and upgradated.
The recent visit of ITF’s Development Officer for Asia Suresh Menon and his recommendations were discussed and it was decided that one regional coordinator in Sindh and one at Lahore will be appointed to further enhance junior tennis initiative in the country.
PTF secretary M Khalid Rehmani informed the house that the federation had already initiated the coach’s education programme in the country and conducted the PTF Pre-ITF Level One coaching course at Karachi and Lahore earlier this year.
e said the PTF had planned to conduct a national yellow badge umpiring course in October in Islamabad to groom young umpires for higher ITF Level One & White Badge courses.
“The payment structure for qualified coaches will also be improved so that new talent may arise and we may have a pool of qualified umpires in the country,” he added.
Regarding Davis Cup, as Pakistan will play against Iran in the first week of February, it was unanimously decided to conduct trials to select the Davis Cup team for the tie.
