Aisam-ul-Haq

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was born and grew up in Lahore. Apart from swimming, playing cricket and football, he started playing tennis at the age of 14 when his maternal grandfather and first coach, Adil Mansoor Tipu, a former 10-time national champion, took him to a tennis club Model Town, Lahore.

His maternal grandfather, Adil Mansoor Tipu, was the All-British India champion before the independence of Pakistan from British India in 1947. His mother, Nosheen Ihtsham, was also a former women's tennis champion. When he was 16, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) sponsored him for two years. He won the Pakistan International Junior Championships and went on to win more, such as the Casablanca Cup in Mexico and the LTA International Junior Championships in Roehampton where he beat Olivier Rochus, Andy Ram and Taylor Dent. In the World Super Junior Championships, he beat Andy Roddick. By 18, he was a Top 20 junior player, and decided to turn professional.

Qureshi had a successful career in junior tennis, finishing No. 7 in the world in 1998, which made him Pakistan's highest-ranked player ever on the international youth tennis arena. Qureshi turned professional in 1998 and ever since has been coached by American Robert Davis. Robert Davis has served as national coach for Peru, Panama, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi prefers the quickers grass courts and has had seen his greatest success on grass and hard courts. His playing style is serve-and-volley, relying on his serve to win him points by putting pressure in his opponents.

Aisam is currently Pakistan's top player. A top 10 doubles player, his highest Singles Race ranking is 103rd and is the former Singles Asian No. 3 and Asian No. 1 in Doubles. He is the only Pakistani tennis player to reach the final of a Grand Slam, which he did in 2010 competing in both mixed doubles (partnering with Květa Peschke) and men's doubles (partnering with Rohan Bopanna) at the US Open.

As Pakistan's No. 1, Aisam has traditionally led Pakistan's Davis Cup campaigns. After shocking New Zealand in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I second round play-off in 2004 to survive relegation, he took them to the World Group Play-Offs for the first time in 2005, before they were beaten by Chile. He has won the most Davis Cup matches for Pakistan, being the most successful singles and doubles player ever. He is also half of the most successful doubles pairing for Pakistan (with Aqeel Khan) in the country's sporting history.

In November 2010 Aisam was appointed The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) goodwill ambassador. Aisam was awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year for 2010 along with his doubles tennis partner Rohan Bopanna of India.

Qureshi teamed with Israeli player Amir Hadad during Wimbledon and the US Open tournaments in 2002. The duo won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for playing together despite pressure from their communities.

Along with Rohan Bopanna, Aisam received the 2010 "Peace and Sport Image of the Year" award,in recognition of their dedicated efforts to spread the message of peace through sport. He was also given the Pakistan President's Award for Performance in 2002, the Salam Pakistan Youth Award by the President of Pakistan in 2007 and was runner-up for the 2003 Anne Frank Award For Moral Courage by the Anne Frank Trust, UK. British international school and college sponsored him. In 2011, he was awarded Lux Style Award for Most Stylish Sports Person.

Aisam is now a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of 54 athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organisation.

Aisam and his partner Rohan Bopanna have created a campaign, Stop War Start Tennis, with their goal to play a match on the border joining India and Pakistan.

On 29 March 2008, Aisam signed an agreement with Pepsi for sponsorship of coach for one year. He became the first sportsman who wasn't a cricketer to star in a Pepsi advert and become one of their brand ambassadors.

He was married to the British Pakistani girl Faha Makhdum but divorced in July 2012.

In 2013, Aisam ul Haq won the Miami doubles open.