India and Pakistan win through tennis
India and Pakistan win through tennis
There are occasions and partnerships which transcend sport and render scorelines and baselines utterly meaningless. The teaming up of Indian Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani Asiam-ul-Haq Qureshi, who will take on the Bryan brothers in the US Open men’s doubles final on Friday, has caused such significant cultural ripples that even if they fail to win a single point they will still have scored a sizeable victory.
You need only to read the reactions, via twitter, of many of their fellow players to understand quite what barriers these two doubles specialists are breaking down by playing together in the first place, let alone reaching a grand slam final as a team. Rajeev Ram (@rajeevram) noted “Haven’t been this excited for a tennis match in a while.@rohanbopanna and Aisam will make history just by showing up…” Sania Mirza (@mirzasania) meanwhile, who made a mark of her own by marrying Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik earlier this year, was equally effusive. “Sports and love can bring ANYTHING together,” tweeted Mirza. “Who would have thought Indians and Pakistanis would be cheering for the same team to win?!”
Ambassadors from both countries sat side by side to cheer on Bopanna and Qureshi in their semi-final match at Flushing Meadows, a simple gesture which clearly moved both players. “They’re ambassadors to the UN, Indian and Pakistan, and both sitting together, and, you know, clapping for the same cause and wanting us to win, it was a beautiful thing to see,” said Qureshi. “Obviously it just feels like that us doing well, on the bigger circuit and the bigger level is getting the message across throughout the world and among all the Pakistanis and Indians. I’ve always said there’s no reason — like if me and Rohan can get along so well on and off the court, there’s no reason the Indians and Pakistanis can’t get along with each other.”
“I see Qureshi from Lahore and Bopanna from Bangalore combining like brothers,” India’s federal Sports Minister MS Gill reportedly said. “I have one question for everyone. If Bopanna and Qureshi can play together, why cannot India and Pakistan?”
It may be hard for those of us outside the sub-continent to understand why a Pakistani and an Indian playing together carries such significance, but even the briefest look at the history of enmity between these two nuclear neighbours illustrates why the success of this particular doubles team has caused such a stir. The two nations have fought three wars against each other since both gained independence from British rule in 1947 and have come close on several other occasions. No wonder Qureshi and Bopanna often sport t-shirts that say: “Stop War. Start Tennis.”
Apart from trying to win their first grand slam title – not to mention beating one of the best doubles teams of all time in the Bryans – Qureshi and Bopanna have one modest, yet admirable aim, summed up neatly by Bopanna. “We’re just trying to promote peace through sports,” he said.
As ever, we at www.10sBalls.com will bring you the result of the final but there are occasions, even for us, when the result scarcely matters.
Watch and read their interview on the US Open website – click here
Topics: Ambassadors, Asiam, Beautiful Thing, Federa, Fellow Players, Final Match, Grand Slam, India And Pakistan, Open Men, Pakistanis, Qureshi, Rajeev Ram, Ripples, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza, Simple Gesture, Tennis Match, Thought Indians, Twitter, Ul Haq
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