17YO Rising Star’s Tragic Death Shocks the Tennis World

She was gone too soon. The tragic demise of the 17-year-old rising star from Karachi, Zainab Ali Naqvi, has sent a shockwave in the tennis world. According to several reports coming out of Pakistan, she passed away in Islamabad on the night of February 12 due to a cardiac arrest. Zainab Ali Naqvi was participating in the ITF Juniors Khawar Hayat Memorial Tournament in the capital city. She was supposed to play on Tuesday.

Sadly, it didn’t happen for this teenager, and now her family, friends, and sports lovers in Pakistan mourn her untimely death. Zainab Ali Naqvi was ranked Sindh’s No. 2 junior player and among the country’s Top 8 junior players.

The death news of the 17YO rising star leaves the entire tennis community in Pakistan shocked and heartbroken

Zainab Ali Naqvi started playing tennis at age 6. She became attracted to the sport after seeing her father’s passion for it. Her parents have supported her throughout her journey. They ensured she traveled to tournaments regularly, encouraging her to pursue her dream of becoming a tennis star.

Even on Monday, she had participated in a practice session before going to a guest house in sector F-16 at Islamabad. She was staying there with her grandmother to take part in the tournament. However, reports said she went to bathe after the match. But after 30 minutes, she was found dead in the bathroom.

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“After reaching the guest house, Zainab had gone to take a shower. But didn’t return after a long time had passed. Her grandmother called her but to no avail,” an official said while breaking the tragic news. All the matches that were supposed to take place on Tuesday were postponed to Wednesday.

Zainab Ali Naqvi was fond of Aryna Sabalenka

Recently, while speaking about her daughter, Alim Imam told The Express Tribune, “Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are her favorite tennis players. Among women, she is fond of… Aryna Sabalenka, more recently. But she also liked Maria Sharapova.” Zainab Ali Naqvi’s hard work and discipline had put her among the best at the junior level.

PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq announced that the ITF J30, which will be held in Islamabad next week, will be renamed the Zainab Ali Naqvi Memorial. A court will also be named after her to pay respect to her memory. A one-minute silence will also be observed at the ITF Junior tournament.

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