Pakistan To Plead Case Before The ITF

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 11th April 2013

Pakistan To Plead Case Before The ITF

epa01497601 Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan returns the ball to Robin Soderling of Sweden during their first round match of the ATP Thailand Open tennis tournament 2008 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, 23 September 2008. EPA/NARONG SANGNAK |

Pakistan’s leading player Aisam-Ul-Haq Querishi, doubles champion at Miami’s Sony Open less than a fortnight ago, insists he will spearhead his nation’s fight with the International Tennis Federation after New Zealand was awarded victory in last weekend’s Davis Cup Asia/Oceania tie.

The grass court surface at the neutral venue of Myanmar (Burma) was deemed unplayable because a large hole developed near a baseline. The venue was Pakistan’s responsibility after a neutral venue was deemed necessary because of security fears that date back to 2009 and a terrorist attack in Lahore against the Sri Lanka cricket team which killed six police officers.

New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt maintained an inch deep and half a foot wide, that opened up on the baseline of the court in Yangon, and proved too dangerous to play on. Sri Lankan referee Asitha Attygalla judged the court to be “unplayable”.

However Querishi, who was actually playing at the time the decision to halt was made, maintained the area declared unplayable was outside the lines of the court.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation had already announced it was lodging a protest with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), but Qureshi said he would meet Davis Cup officials in London to present the team’s case.

“I am leaving for London and will meet Davis Cup officials on Friday to put Pakistan’s case before them and I am positive of a solution as the tie was unfairly awarded against us,” Qureshi told a news conference.

“It seemed the referee was not working for the ITF but for New Zealand and he was clearly partial and unjust.”