United Nations: Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, the new face of Indo-Pak solidarity, may have lost in the US Open 2010 finals, but their ability to close rifts between the neighbours is being hailed by many.
"These things are not meant to achieve anything directly but these will embellish the peace process," Abduallah Hussain Haroon, Pakistan's envoy to the UN, said.
Urging people to think "out of the box", he said: "Some people say this is a 'romantic vision' but it is better to have this vision than to fall prey to the status quo."
The Pakistani diplomat and his counterpart from India Hardeep Singh Puri have been attending the US Open matches featuring the Indo-Pak team, including the final match on Sunday, which pitted Bopanna and Qureshi, both 30, against United States' Bob and Mike Bryan.
The pair, seeded 16th, however, lost to the Bryan brothers in straight sets 6-7, 6-7.
In an interview with media at the US Open earlier this week, Qureshi revealed that Bopanna was a big hit in Pakistan.
"He probably doesn't know, but he is very popular in Pakistan," he said.
Although they first played together in 2003, Bopanna and Qureshi became regular teammates this year.
The duo, who plan to play a tennis match at Wagah border as a goodwill gesture, have taken up wearing sweatshirts with the slogan 'Stop War, Start Tennis.'
"We're just trying to promote peace through sports...we are not looking into any political part," said Bopanna.
"If even like 2 per cent or 3 per cent people change their minds of saying, you know, if we can both get along why can't they," he said.
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