ISLAMABAD: Leo Borg will lead a pack of foreign players set to flex their muscles in the ITF Men’s Futures M-15 (Leg-1) starting with the qualifying round at the PTF Complex courts from Sunday.
Canada’s Farag Cao Adam is seeded No 2, followed by Dubinin Alexay, who is seeded no 3. Turkish player Duran Tugra is seeded No four in the highly reputed event being hosted by Pakistan after eight years. The highlights of back-to-back events is the presence of tennis great Björn Borg, who is expected to reach the city on May 2. In what promises to be a landmark moment for Pakistan’s sporting landscape, the country is set to welcome one of tennis’s most iconic figures on a week-long visit in early May, a development being hailed as a historic breakthrough for the game.
The five-time Wimbledon champion and former World No. 1 will be in the city for a week, marking the first-ever visit by a player of Borg’s stature to Pakistan. His presence is expected to add unprecedented prestige to the upcoming international tennis events scheduled to be hosted by the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF). PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi expressed immense pride and excitement while speaking to The News.
“With immense pleasure, I share that Björn Borg, a legend who dominated world tennis in the late 1970s and early 1980s, will be visiting Pakistan. This is a historic first for us. Borg is not just a champion; he is among those rare players who helped globalize and popularize tennis,” Aisam said. Widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest icons, Borg’s glittering career includes six French Open titles and five Wimbledon crowns, achievements that placed him among the immortals of the game. His calm demeanor, unmatched baseline play, and dominance on both grass and clay courts made him a global phenomenon during his prime.
