Haniya is trying to make her mark as one of Pakistan’s youngest tennis player. 

Haniya Minhas who is an 8-year-old girl from Islamabad is like any little Pakistani girl except for one thing; she plays a brilliant game of tennis.

According to Haniya’s dad, she started playing tennis around the age of 3 and a half years old, after she saw her father playing the sport. She was naturally gifted and her parents immediately recognized her talent and encouraged her interest in the competitive sport.

Lucky for Haniya, her father is a fitness trainer so she was in good hands when it came to training and navigating her way around the world of competitive tennis. Haniya trains at the National Training Center in Islamabad with some of the most talented young sportspeople in the country.

Haniya’s favorite tennis player is Rafael Nadal and I hope that one day, she wins as many if not more accolades as her tennis hero has to his name.

At the age of 8, Haniya already has many competition wins under her belt. This includes ranking first at the National Bank of Pakistan’s Under 14 Championship for 2019, Clark Francis Under 10 in Dubai and about a dozen more.

Being an athlete in a country like Pakistan is tough where the sports sector is heavily underfunded. And female athletes have an even harder time gaining recognition because of the little to no support or resources given to them by the government. And similarly, Haniya and her family are doing everything on their own. The government has not sponsored any of Haniya’s training costs and does not help with expenses related to travel for international competitions.

Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted on the occasion of International Women’s Day about how the government is dedicated to making the lives of women in Pakistan better. One area that should be focused on is women in sports; better training, resources, and equipment needs to be made a priority.

There are so many talented female athletes in Pakistan that need help to bolster their careers.

Swimmers like Kiran Khan, athletes like Maryam Nasim are just a few names who’re representing Pakistan in severely underserved sports. Similarly, Haniya Minhas is also looking for sponsors to help her compete in international competitions so she can become the internationally recognized and ranked player like she dreams to be. We hope Haniya realizes her dreams and is able to achieve them because she definitely has the talent for it.

If you want to sponsor Haniya’s journey to becoming the world’s best tennis player, you can reach out to her father here.

What do you think about sports funding in Pakistan? Let us know in the comments below.

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Cover Image Source: Muhammad Minhas