Pakistans future tennis hope, Samir Iftikhar, speaks to Dawn.coms Tabinda Najam Siddiqi in an exclusive interview.

While Pakistan's tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has been making Pakistan proud on the international stage, his cousin Samir Iftikhar has been making waves in the world junior tennis circuit.

Coming from a family of tennis players, with his father Tayyab Khwaja and grandfather Khwaja Iftikhar having represented Pakistan in the Davis Cup, it really is no surprise that Samir also followed suit.

Samir was initially interested in cricket but his father encouraged him instead to start playing tennis and he is glad he made that choice, he has since then trained hard to become the player he is today.

“Cricket bores me now, I like tennis much better and I think it was the best choice for me,” he says.

Being the cousin of Pakistan's biggest tennis star must put some pressure on Samir but he says that if anything, Aisam provides him with inspiration to do better in every match he plays.

“When both of us are in Pakistan, we play together and he gives me tips to help improve my game. He's one of my biggest inspirations and I look up to him as my mentor.”

Aisam says he treats Samir like his younger brother and tries to help him whenever the two of them are playing together. “He's a very hardworking kid; I never practiced as hard as he does when I was his age.”

Pakistan's tennis super star feels extremely glad that he is an inspiration for the upcoming generation of players.

“I'm very happy with Samir's performance; he's getting good training, heading in the right direction and has a long way to go,” says Aisam.

Samir recently won his first international tennis tournament when the 18-year-old defeated India's Arjun Pande in the Oman International Junior Tennis tournament. Ranked 271st in the world, he hopes to break into the top 100 sometime soon.

His fast rise in the junior circuit, from 1300 to 271 in less than a year, was noticed by the International Tennis Federation who awarded the player a special grant in June this year.

“I'm working hard on my fitness and playing in more international tournaments than I've played before and I'm also playing better so there is a good chance that I will improve my ranking further,” he says.

Based in England, Samir believes he has an edge over the other Pakistani players in terms of fitness and skill due to the facilities he has access to over there.

“There is proper structure to training programs over there. I have a fitness trainer and regular academy sessions. In Pakistan there isn't any organised training system for the tennis players,” Samir explains.

However, he believes that tennis in Pakistan can be improved as there is a lot of talent and with the proper training and coaching facilities, it can turn into a big sport in the country.

Up until now, Samir has played in around 30 international tournaments, most of them in the Middle East.

“I try to balance the international tournaments I play with the local ones, whenever I am not playing in an international tournament; I try to participate in a local one.”

His first Grand Slam tournament was the Australian Open 2010, in which he lost in the first qualifying round.

“I was a bit nervous but I treated it like any other tournament and it was a great experience for me ... really good to be playing alongside some of the best junior tennis players in the world.”

While other sports may complain of lack of support from their respective federations, Samir says the Pakistan Tennis Federation has actually been very supportive towards him and has even financed some of his international tournaments. Samir also praises the Pakistani media for encouraging his achievements by giving him good coverage, in print and television both.

Samir has also been receiving support from other corners as well. HEAD NV, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of premium branded sports equipment, signed Samir up on their “Team Elite”, a global sponsorship programme aimed at promoting young, talented tennis players in more than 40 countries around the world.

The added responsibility of maintaining his good run has meant that Samir now has a cramped schedule where he juggles studies, training and tournaments. Luckily for him, he says his coaches are very understanding and let him bring his books to practice. Currently, his coach in Pakistan, Zulfikar Rahim is looking for college scholarships for him.

Rahim is a former national champion whose tennis career ended due to a car accident after which he decided to take on coaching. He has been coaching Samir for the past two years and says that he is easy to work with. Since Samir doesn't travel with a coach because of the expenses, Rahim helps him with his training whenever he is in Pakistan.

“Samir has all the makings of a champion...after my accident I wanted to make a real

tennis player in Pakistan and I can see myself achieving this dream with Samir.”