Mr. Khwaja Saeed Hai former Tennis Legend of Pakistan and Patron of PTF-Pakistan Tennis Federation passed away on 31st March 2021.
The 91 year old legend passed away (إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ – Surely we belong to ALLAH/GOD and to HIM shall we return) in Karachi after a protracted illness.
Khwaja Saeed Hai (born 5th March 1930) was a former Pakistan No. 1 tennis player, and the first Pakistani tennis player to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam through qualifying matches. He featured in the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships in 1955 and 1956, and reached the second round of the French Open. He also played in the U.S. Open in 1964 and played in the Davis Cup for Pakistan.
Having studied at the Aligarh Muslim University, Saeed Hai played the Wimbledon Men’s singles, Men’s doubles and Mixed doubles. Apart from playing in the Davis Cup, he has captained Pakistan’s Davis Cup team 32 times.
When the French Tennis Federation celebrated 100 years of French Championship at Roland Garros, they built a commemorative wall displaying the names of players who had done well during the championship which included the name of Saeed Hai.
Saeed Hai was also the founder President of the International Club, whose Head Office is in England. Membership is only open for Grand Slam and Davis Cup players.
The International Tennis Federation awarded him with a Gold medal at their Annual General Meeting held in Lausnne, Switzerland before 300 delegates from 198 affiliated associations of ITF including Pakistan.
