Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi admitted he had fulfilled his life's ambition after the Pakistani won his first singles match at Wimbledon.
LONDON: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi admitted he had fulfilled his life's ambition after the Pakistani won his first singles match at Wimbledon.
The 27-year-old fell in love with Wimbledon after spending his childhood in Lahore watching the likes of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker battle it out on the famous lawns.
He had strived to reach the main draw at the All-England Club for 10 years and, after missing out in the final qualifying round several times he finally made it this year, becoming the first Pakistani to play in the Wimbledon men's singles since Haroon Rahim in 1976.
Qureshi's only previous experience of Wimbledon was in the doubles in 2002, when he created a storm by opting to defy his federation and play with Israel's Amir Hadad.
So when the Pakistan number one hit a volleyed winner to clinch his first Grand Slam singles victory, a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) success over Britain's Lee Childs that set up a second round clash with Marat Safin, it was the culmination of his childhood dream.
"It feels unbelievable because it has always been my dream to play in the main draw at Wimbledon," Qureshi said.
"Even match point in the last round of qualifying was a big deal because three times I've lost in last round qualifiers to get into Wimbledon, so I was unbelievably happy then, let alone now."
"In Pakistan when I was younger they only used to show the Wimbledon finals, so I was always watching Edberg and Becker."
"I grew up watching those guys and that's why I like to serve ad volley."
Qureshi's win was only the second by a Pakistani in the men's singles and it was no surprise that his celebrations were the most extravagant at Wimbledon this year.
He fell to his knees and kissed the court before rushing to celebrate with his vociferous supporters, including his parents, brother and two cousins, at courtside.
"I wanted to share the moment with my family," he said. "I just got 20 missed calls and 20 text messages. It's going to be mad back home. The day I qualified people were really happy for me and this is even bigger."
Qureshi, ranked 279th, honed his serve and volley game on grass courts in Lahore as a youngster and is reaping the rewards.
He beat talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet in Halle earlier this month and believes he can give Safin, a former world number one, a taxing test in the next round.
"I've never played Marat," he said. "Obviously he is a world class player, but grass is definitely my favourite surface and it's not Marat's."
"The first four years of my career I didn't play on anything else, so I'll just try to give him a tough time. I'll give my best and the rest is up to God."
The Lahore-based player believes this victory can be a springboard to end the year as a top 100 ranked player.
He said, "Since I started playing juniors everyone has said I am capable of winning matches like this. It's been a rollercoaster ride, but I got to 80 in doubles, so I always believed if I could do it in doubles I could do it in singles."
"This year the door has been opened. I'm feeling mentally very relaxed and positive. I'm working hard and after 10 years the tennis courts are finally listening to me."
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