Khaled Salahuddin - A trailblazing champion looking to take tennis in Bangladesh to the next level

With the French Open in full tilt and the world witnessing the world's best tennis players in action, the Bangladeshi tennis fans might be left wondering when they might see a player from this country make it to the grand stage.

Well, back in the 1970s, tennis was among the prominent sports in Bangladesh and one of the best players to ever play for the country was Khaled Salahuddin.

Born on November 13, 1955, in Dhaka, he dominated the local tennis scene for a decade.

He won the inaugural national tennis championship in 1972 and then went on to win it two more times, in 1973 and in 1981, while also finishing as the runners-up in four consecutive years from 1977-1980.

He was declared 'Sportsperson of the Year in Tennis' by the Bangladesh Sports Writers' Association in 1977.

Now in his 60s, Khaled has been working on popularising tennis in Bangladesh as a treasurer and vice-president of the Bangladesh Tennis Federation. He spoke with The Business Standard in an exclusive interview about his career, why Bangladesh haven't kicked on to the next level, and what he wants to do to take tennis forward. 

Falling in love with tennis

His father Salahuddin Ahmed was a former secretary and a tennis lover and he played a big role in getting Khaled into tennis.

"In 1965, I used to study in Mymensingh Zilla School and my father (Salahuddin Ahmed) was a secretary, used to play tennis and he told me to go to the officer's club after school."

It's in the officer's club where Khaled met the then national champion Owahedul Karim and his love for tennis began.

"I was good at table tennis and I used to play it, but seeing one of the new players Owahedul Karim, who was the singles, doubles and mixed-doubles national tennis champion, and seeing all his trophies, caught my attention. I was amazed! So one day I asked him how it feels to be a champion and he told me, 'This is not my biggest achievement, I defeated Wimbledon champion Althea Gibson in a mixed-doubles exhibition match in Kolkata.'

That increased my excitement and I asked him if I could start playing tennis and he showed me the way."

The early rise 

Within three years of practicing and at 12 years of age, Khaled Salahuddin took part in the East Pakistan junior tournament in 1969 and won it. He explains how things were different in his time and why interested tennis players like him got an opportunity to hone their skills.

"I got 200% support from my family because of two reasons. My mother (Khaleda Salahuddin) who was a renowned litterateur, was very strict and she used to take me and my sister to school and afterwards to the officer's club. I realised soon that playing tennis there gave me happiness, but it also allowed my parents to keep a close eye on me and take care of me better." 

Along with support from his family, the locals would also support the tennis players and that gave Khaled added motivation to do better, two things he feels are missing now among parents and the general public.

"There was a rivalry among players from this part with players from West Pakistan. Whenever tournaments took place, we'd get tremendous support from the locals, and that increased my determination." 

"There was a rivalry among players from this part with players from West Pakistan. Whenever tournaments took place, we'd get tremendous support from the locals, and that increased my determination." 

And then came the moment of glory for Khaled in 1972: "I took part in our national tennis championships in 1972; the first one after our independence, and I won both the singles and doubles competitions."

Dominating the decade
Khaled admires the former greats in tennis as well as some current players, but he reveals his biggest sports inspiration is from boxing, the legendary Muhammad Ali. 

"Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and now Carlos Alcaraz - I follow and like all of these players in tennis. But if I have to talk about my biggest idol, it's the same as Federer's Muhammad Ali, because of how Ali popularised the game and his 'never give up' attitude. Many people might not know this, but tennis is very similar to boxing in how you have to step and move."

From 1972 to 1982, Khaled became the national single champion three times and a runner-up seven times. In doubles, Khaled and his partner Maruf defeated Indian and Malaysian players in regional tournaments at that time, something he takes great pride and satisfaction in.

"We used to have five-set matches in our time, as you see in grand slams, but now it's been cut down to three sets. When we played in the Davis Cup, we were in level two and we reached the semi-finals. Beating India in 1976 in the Phillips International tennis tournament was a big highlight for me."

Khaled represented Bangladesh in different international tennis tournaments during that time, including the Malaysian Open Tennis Championship in Kuala Lumpur (1973), a tour to Rangoon, Myanmar (1974), Pakistan Open Tennis Championship (1978) and Asian Amateur Tennis Championship in Thailand (1981).

These were tournaments where he and Maruf would do well and reach the latter stages.

The demise of the local tennis scene

Unfortunately, Khaled explains that one of the biggest reasons for tennis losing ground to other sports was a lack of a tennis committee to oversee the tennis federation after his retirement.

"For almost three decades up until very recently, there was no one to govern anything for whatever reason, and no one took an interest," he explains.

"Parents need to be more interested in letting their children in the first place. You can see this field, it's empty, why? Parents are not here, and their kids will follow what they do. In cricket, they see the likes of Shakib Al  Hasan and get inspired by them, and they want their children to be the next Shakib. We don't have that in tennis."

He also feels that parents need to be more supportive to help their children learn tennis.

Parents want their kids to become national team cricketers as there are big-name Bangladeshi players to look up to, but that is not the case in tennis. 

"Parents need to be more interested in letting their children in the first place. You can see this field, it's empty, why? Parents are not here, and their kids will follow what they do. In cricket, they see the likes of Shakib Al  Hasan and get inspired by them, and they want their children to be the next Shakib. We don't have that in tennis."

Another issue he finds is in the schools, where there are not enough facilities for kids to play tennis and it is not a part of their curriculum.

"There are technical deficiencies among players too. They ask me how to grip a tennis bat. Doing a talent hunt isn't going to reap rewards if tennis isn't part of our education system. Schools need to have multipurpose courts where they can play all kinds of sports, including tennis."

Hope for the future

Currently, Khaled is working with the tennis federation to find the next batch of young tennis players that can one day grow up to represent Bangladesh in the big stage.

There were no tennis activities for a long time and only recently, there are international tournaments being held at the tennis complex, thanks to Khaled and the efforts of the tennis federation.

"We are looking to collaborate with schools to ensure that they make tennis a part of their curriculum. We have sent scouts to over 50 districts in search of players and we have deployed over 30 coaches around the country to teach these kids who are interested. If we can get enough funding from sponsors, we can invest more here."

It's a long and tricky road ahead for Khaled and the tennis federation after years of negligence and mismanagement, but they are taking the right steps to build the foundations for tennis in Bangladesh.

Getting the necessary resources, funds, and getting parents and schools interested will not be easy, but that is the first step to finding the next tennis star and preparing for a better future.