Love all: How two tennis stars turned Indo-Pak rivalry into friendship

A new, makeshift stadium in the suburbs of New York will become the centre of the cricketing world for a few hours on Sunday (June 9) when old foes Pakistan and India clash in a high-voltage game of the ICC T20 World Cup. It's a match that will surely attract hundreds of millions of eyeballs not just in the Indo-Pak subcontinent but the entire world.

Turn back the clock to 14 years ago.

Back in the fall of 2010, there was a lot of excitement among the sporting circles of Pakistan and India, the two South Asian neighbours. The two have fought three wars since they were created following the violent partition in 1947. And for a change, cricket—the number one sport in India and Pakistan by a mile—wasn't creating the buzz.

It was tennis.

In fact, the prime reason was the exploits of two young men who had formed a partnership, half Pakistani and half Indian, that was causing waves not just in their own countries but around the tennis world.

Pakistan's tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Rohan Bopanna stunned Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the US Open men's doubles semi-finals. The two were to face the US's Brian brothers—Mike and Bob—the top seeds and the most successful doubles team in history in the final.

It was a story that had to make headlines and it did.

Qureshi was the first Pakistani and the first Muslim to play in a Grand Slam final. Bopanna, who recently won the Australian Open doubles title and became the world No.1, was then looking for his first-ever major crown. But much more than personal glory, by teaming together and reaching the finale, they had brought together, albeit briefly, people of two nations with a bitter history.

There were more than 20,000 fans cheering for them at the Center Court at Flushing Meadows in New York when they took on the Bryans. There were Indian fans and there were Pakistani fans among the packed crowd. Among the attendees were the United Nations ambassadors of the two countries.

They were dubbed as the Indo-Pak Express and they were receiving support from everywhere.

Among them was Manohar Singh Gill, then India’s sports minister, who sent his good wishes with the query: “I have one question for everyone. If Bopanna and Qureshi can play together, why cannot India and Pakistan?”

Unfortunately, the duo did not have a fairytale ending. They went down fighting against the Bryans, and both sets were decided on tie-breakers.

"It was a life-changing experience for me," Qureshi tells TRT World in an interview. "Playing in the US Open final was the highlight of my tennis career," he adds.

"Ever Since I started playing tennis professionally I wanted to be recognised as a tennis-playing sports star in Pakistan. When I returned home after the final, everyone recognised me as a star.

"I was the first Pakistani and first Muslim player to play a Grand Slam final. It was like a dream come true, playing against the No.1 team in the world. We played an unbelievable match in front of over 20,000 fans at the centre court. It was definitely an experience I will remember for the rest of my life."

Even after almost 14 years, during which their partnership ended, Qureshi still believes the sport has the power to bring nations like Pakistan and India, which have mostly been at loggerheads since gaining independence from the British in 1947, closer.

He believes that if two relatively lesser-known tennis-playing boys can help break the ice between the two neighbours, then cricket stars, idolised on both sides of the divide, can play a much bigger role.

The cricket challenge

Cricket contests between India and Pakistan are a different story. The Indian cricket team has not visited Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, which the Pakistanis hosted. Before that, there was a thaw in the Indo-Pak cricketing ties, with both teams playing exchange series in 2005 and 2006.

However, the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, which India claimed were carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists, turned out to be a devastating blow to any hopes of long-term cricketing ties between the two nations.

Pakistan did tour India in 2012 for a series of limited-over games, but the Indians refused to reciprocate.

Last year, when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup, India once again decided against sending its team, forcing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to move the best part of the tournament, including the final, to Sri Lanka.

Pakistan mulled the idea of staying away from the ICC World Cup, which was held in India soon after the Asia Cup, but then changed its mind about any tit-for-tat action and opted to send its team.

The PCB is set to host the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, an event featuring the world's top-eight cricket teams, in February-March. The Pakistanis were hoping that the Indian side would reciprocate their positive World Cup move. But India has cast a shadow over the event by sending signals that it won't send its team to Pakistan.

PCB, on its part, has been trying to convince the BCCI (India’s cricket board) by offering options like having all of India's games, including the final, in Lahore. Regarded as Pakistan's cultural capital, Lahore is located just 15 miles from the Indian border. However, it is feared that India will once again refuse, forcing Islamabad to move most of the tournament's games, most probably to the UAE.

Qureshi believes such an outcome should be unacceptable to Pakistan.

"As a cricket fan myself, I really hope that the Indian team comes to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy," he says.

"It will be really sad if India doesn't come here. After all, we sent our team to the World Cup (in India). We could have easily made an excuse and decided against going to India. But instead we gave them a message of friendship. But if India refuses to change its harsh stance, then somewhere down the line, we need to take a stand."

So what can the PCB do if the BCCI refuses to send its team to Pakistan?

Qureshi is of the view that PCB should learn from tennis.

What is happening on the cricket front also happened in tennis. Pakistan and India were drawn in the Davis Cup, one of the biggest team events in international tennis.

It was Pakistan's turn to host India but the Indians refused to visit the country, forcing the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to move the tie to neutral Kazakhstan. However, Qureshi decided to boycott the tie on the grounds that it was unfair for Pakistan to surrender its home advantage. As a mark of protest, Pakistan decided to send its junior players for the match which was won 4-0 by India's top-tier team.

Last year, it was once again Pakistan's turn to host its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zone tie against India. This time, however, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) managed to convince ITF against moving the tie to a neutral venue despite India's insistence.

The Indians were told to either give Pakistan a walk-over or play the tie in Islamabad. The Indian team did come and play their Davis Cup match in Pakistan for the first time since 1964.

"The match finally took place in Islamabad because we took a stand. PCB and Pakistan's top cricketers should also take a similar stand. I think even if one of Pakistan's top cricketers makes it clear that he would boycott any Champions Trophy matches if they are played outside Pakistan, then it could make a difference. I believe that our cricketers should get involved and say that enough is enough. But I hope that it doesn't come to that and better sense prevails. I would love to see Indian stars in action on Pakistani soil."

Qureshi is of the view that sport is the best tool to create harmony between India and Pakistan.

When he and Bopanna were a team, they started the Stop War, Start Tennis campaign to spread their message of peace. They later won the prestigious Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award.

"My coach Robert Davis floated this idea to start a Stop War Start Tennis campaign. It was very impactful. We just realised that our role is much bigger than just being tennis players. We can transform and send positive messages to both sides of the border and all over the world. We helped change the minds of many Pakistanis and Indians and I'm super proud of that."

While Qureshi and Bopanna played their part in the campaign to bring people of the two countries together, there is still much work to be done. When the cricketers of the two nations clash in New York on Sunday, there will once again be a battle-like feel at the 34,000-seater Nassau County Stadium.

"Isn't it far better to have this kind of atmosphere on a sporting field than an actual battlefield," asks Qureshi. He certainly has a point.