Correct way: Sania Mirza’s fearless and brave attitude paid rich dividends. , photo credit: AFP
For a professional athlete, every day is an exercise in the impossible. Doubts creep in, demons rage, the body wears out and you lose far more than you win. To maintain the veneer of conservatism, be free on and off the pitch, have an attitude and codify the path to glory is a task beyond all.
Sania Mirza managed to do this for nearly two decades in a lonely, mentally taxing and physically exhausting sport. He didn’t quite annihilate everyone on the tennis court. But at her peak, she rose above the rest and is still above every other Indian female tennis player.
Sania first shot into prominence after the turn of the millennium, when the Williams sisters – Venus and Serena – were playing with hitherto unseen power and strength, and the all-round shot-making was changing the game. For the legions of Indian fans who fantasized about seeing touch artists waltzing around pristine meadows, it was a brush with new reality.
Global icon of India: Sania Mirza has inspired a generation of tennis players. , Photo credit: Getty Images
But Sania was not deterred, and with her tennis bent towards her face, she reached the third round on her Slam singles debut at the 2005 Australian Open. She was neither ballistic nor blessed with fast feet, but she hit with ferocity, especially the forehand, and had an innate ability to overcome extreme nerves.
Sania rose to No. 27, the highest for an Indian woman, and for a large part of the four-year period (2005–08), she was in the top-32. Between February 2005 and September 2006, she won her only WTA title (Hyderabad) and had three top-10 wins.
‘Absolutely iconic place’
Renowned coach Nandan Bal said, “She was top-30 in singles, in addition to all subsequent doubles highs, putting her at an absolutely coveted spot.” Hindu It was last year when Sania first announced her intention to retire.
“More than anything, she was a player who got better as the match got closer and tighter. I mean, she was ready to take on the world, a girl who wasn’t afraid of anything.
In mid-2012, a persistent wrist injury forced her to switch to doubles. But she persevered and kept on inventing new ways to excel. Quick reflexes, magic hands and sharp anticipation are prerequisites in elite doubles, and winning streaks are as fragile as a pack of cards.
Nevertheless, she spent 91 weeks as world No. 1, winning six Grand Slam titles (three in doubles and three in mixed doubles), with six runner-up finishes, including at the 2023 Australian Open, her last major appearance, three majors. The whole year of returning from.
live long
If her 43 WTA doubles titles spread over 17-and-a-half years (2004-21) were longevity, back-to-back WTA Finals crowns (2014 and 2015) were testament to the stratospheric levels of tennis she’s reached Could have
“When we chose to play tennis professionally, a lot of people asked our parents what they were doing and said we couldn’t make a career,” said Ankita Bhambri, Sania’s teammate, teammate and once India Billie Jean has been a coach on the King Cup team.
“Now people are willing to take that risk [because of Sania], They don’t hold back just because they are girls. There was motherhood and that was a huge inspiration. He has definitely shown the way to everyone.