Muzammil seeks financial support to achieve big.

Byline: Mohsin Ali

ISLAMBAD -- New tennis sensation Muzammil Murtaza requested Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Salim Saifullah Khan, IPC Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to lend a helping hand to him and in return, he promised to win laurels for the country.

In an interview with The Nation here on Tuesday, 20-year-old Muzammil, who dethroned Pakistan's longest serving No 1 tennis player Aqeel Khan twice in a row, said: 'It is just the beginning and I can see Aqeel, who is a true champion and legend, is bound to stage strong comeback. I had mental blockade against Aqeel in the past and always gave him very tough time, but now I feel I have overcome that phase and now I am playing my natural game against Aqeel, who is a great class and can stage strong comeback soon.'

Muzammil said last two years were very important for his career, as the ITF Futures played key role in helping him develop into a better player. 'I played in Uganda, Doha, Cairo and also became a part of Pakistan Davis Cup team. As long as I get international exposure and play ITF Futures and Davis Cup matches, I will learn a lot and further improve my game. I must say a big thanks to my elder brother Muhammad Yasin, who is an instrumental force behind all my feats. I would also like to say thanks to Davis Cupper Asim Shafiq, Hameed-ul-Haq, PTF coaches and federation for their all-out support to me.

'We need to feature in international matches to pose serious challenge...