The call that confirmed Bjorn Borg's trip to Pakistan
The former doubles ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi will be welcoming his hero, the 11-time Grand Slam champion, marking a historic feat for Pakistan tennis
The story behind 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg’s upcoming visit to Pakistan is a heartening one.
And even more so, a victory for tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi, who will welcome one of his sports heroes to the country as the President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation this week, when the ITF Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament series kicks off on April 26.
“I’m very, very excited, in fact, you can say I am ecstatic that Bjorn Borg is coming to Pakistan, it is a huge moment for us, I feel very proud that I am able to get him to visit Pakistan,” Aisam told Lost on the Desk.
“I think all the things that we are doing for promoting the game in Pakistan, from all the infrastructure development, to holding the international junior events, having the APT Challenger event last year, it was a big thing.”
Aisam made history for Pakistan as the chief of the federation by holding the first ATP Challenger event in the PTF’s history back in November 2025.
That event was significant because, towards the end, Aisam announced his retirement from international tennis, and it also set off a ripple effect, as one of the 25 international players who played in Islamabad was Leo Borg, Bjorn Borg’s son.
“Bjorn Borg’s son came to play that Challenger event, and he was really impressed with our hospitality, along with how we were able to conduct the event in the best way possible,” explained Aisam.
“ So I feel there is the word of mouth, and it spreads; he must have said good things about Pakistan and about the federation and how we conducted the whole tournament to his father.”
The 2010 US Open finalist added that he is holding two International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures events with $15000 worth of prize money, and the 22-year-old Leo is eager to participate in them, while his legendary father would love to see him play in the flesh in Islamabad as well.
“I’m holding two ITF Future tournaments where Leo Borg is again coming to play, and he messaged me that he is planning to come to Pakistan to play in them, and that his parents would love to come as well.
“He asked if I could arrange their visit, so I told him that I would love to arrange it and would love to have Bjorn Borg and his missus there as well.”
Aisam added that the Swedish maestro, who remains the only man to ever complete a Channel Slam, i.e., to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year three times, had congratulated him over the successful ATP Challenger in Islamabad as well.
“After the challengers last year, Bjorn Borg emailed me as well. He congratulated me for holding the Challenger, and for promoting the sport in Pakistan and in the world, and that he would love to come to Pakistan one day, and it is Allah’s favour that he is coming to Pakistan now,” said Aisam.
And to confirm the visit, Aisam said, Bjorn Borg directly spoke to him on the phone, too.
“I received the phone call from Bjorn Borg’s son a few days back, where he called me and then Bjorn Borg himself started to converse as well..He said, ‘Am I talking to the greatest doubles player from Asia?’ I was very humbled by that, I just jokingly quipped, ‘It is the wrong number then.
“I told him that it is an honour and a highlight of my career and life that a legend like him was calling me, so he told me that he would like to visit Pakistan with his wife to see his son play, and I told him that it would be the biggest event in Pakistan’s tennis history especially, and in terms of sports history wise as well, around 30-40 years ago Muhammad Ali also came to Pakistan,....I think after that, Bjorn Borg is going to be the biggest sports icon to visit us,” said Aisam.
He added that Bjorn Borg’s visit will also help improve Pakistan’s image on the international stage, and it will be a great step in sports diplomacy.
Sports diplomacy
The five-time consecutive Wimbledon singles champion, Borg’s visit will also help Aisam approach other legends to come to Pakistan as well.
“I’m very happy and excited and feeling very proud, and this will open many doors for Pakistan tennis and to promote tennis in Pakistan as well. There is a lot of hype already about him coming.
“And we are trying to promote it in the best way possible and can’t wait to have him here, it’ll be amazing for sports diplomacy as well, projecting a soft image of our country, which I have always hoped to do in my career,” exclaimed Aisam.
He said he is also planning to host women’s ITF Futures events as well.
“Going forward, I am also planning to hold some women’s futures as well, and Borg’s visit will now help us in asking other tennis legends to come to Pakistan as well. I’m really looking forward to it”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tennis Federation press release earlier included the details
:
Borg will visit along with his family (wife and two sons). His visit is expected to significantly enhance the international profile of tennis in Pakistan and inspire young players across the country.
The PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, stated that the Government of Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, is doing commendable work in strengthening the country’s international standing by facilitating mediation efforts between Iran and the USA to help avoid a major global conflict, and that the tennis fraternity highly appreciates these peace efforts, adding that as a result of these initiatives, top global political dignitaries and international personalities are visiting Pakistan, reflecting the country’s growing importance on the world stage.