A teenage tennis player from Pakistan, Zainab Ali Naqvi, tragically passed away due to a suspected heart attack after collapsing in her room following a practice session ahead of an ITF junior tournament. The 17-year-old died while being transported to the hospital late on Monday night. Her grandmother, who was with her, sought assistance after Zainab fainted. A senior official from the Pakistan Tennis Federation expressed deep sadness over the incident, noting that Zainab showed great promise on the women’s circuit and was dedicatedly striving to succeed in ITF junior competitions.
PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq has announced that the ITF J30 in Islamabad next week will be called the Zainab Ali Naqvi Memorial in order to honour the 17-year-old tennis player who passed away today due to a cardiac arrest. A court will also be named after her.
Gone too soon 💔 pic.twitter.com/Qb5QkVvw8M
— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) February 13, 2024
A police official handling the case mentioned that doctors declared her dead after she was brought to an Islamabad hospital.
According to him, the doctors suspect a heart attack as the cause of death, terming it as a natural occurrence. He also noted that her parents declined any postmortem examination, and they have been given her body for transportation back to Karachi.
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Speaking on condition of anonymity, the PTF official stated that doctors suspected her case to be Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle thickens.
The PTF, in its official statement regarding the incident, extended condolences to the family of the young player, expressing deep sorrow over the tragic loss. Mr. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, the President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, Ex-President PTF, PTF Council Members, and the wider tennis community offered their heartfelt sympathies to the grieving family.
Additionally, as a gesture of respect for the departed player, all matches scheduled for Tuesday in the ITF event were postponed and rescheduled to Wednesday.
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