New Delhi:
Pakistan's Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi became the first tennis player from the strife-torn nation to make it to the finals of a Grand Slam with his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna in men's doubles and Czech Republic's Kveta Peschke in the mixed doubles events at the 2010 US Open.
As Pakistan's top player, Qureshi has been leading his country's Davis Cup campaigns for the past 12 years. Qureshi is more impressive on grass and hard courts. His playing style of serve-and-volley benefits him on a fast court.
Born on March 17, 1980, Qureshi belongs to a family that had tennis running in its veins. His maternal grandfather, Khawaja Iftikhar, was the All-India champion before partition. Qureshi, however, took up tennis at the age of 14.
At 16, the ITF sponsored him for two years. He won the Pakistan International Junior Championships, the Casablanca Cup in Mexico and the LTA International Junior Championships in Roehampton. In the World Super Junior Championships, he beat Andy Roddick. By 18, he was a Top 20 junior player.
Since becoming a pro in 1998, he has won 53 doubles matches and lost 47. However, he has just one career title, which he won with Rohan Bopanna at the South Africa Tennis Open in February this year.
The Indo-Pak pair, nicknamed 'The Indo-Pak Express', is also supporting 'Stop War Start Tennis' movement. The two players from the rival countries flaunt T-shirts with this message on the court.
Qureshi is also a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of 40 athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Monaco-based international organization Peace and Sport.