As someone who is a die hard tennis afficionado, and plays the game every day, I feel Sania Mirza’s achievement is indeed laudable.
Contrary to what many see tennis as a physical game, its a more of a mental game, and thats where Indian players are often found wanting. Tennis is like playing chess while running a marathon! You have to read opponent’s game, her strength’s and weaknesses, and match your games with hers. You have to set up a point because in this day of high power tennis no opponent will ever let you earn a point without working hard on it.
Anyone who saw Sania play the second set in the Oz open will vouch for the fact that she matched Serina stroke for stroke and her baseline rallies were superb. Her forehand winners were hard hit and even a six foot something Serina, who gallops like a horse, was seen gasping for breath chasing her winners.
Some of her serves went whizzing past Serina and took her by surprise, in fact she never anticipated this kind of game from a relatively in-experienced opponent. Tennis takes a very heavy toll on your mind and body and needs a mental toughness of the highest level. It is hard to survive three sets in a grand slam event, and after Sania’s first set washout, it was amazing how she picked up her game in the second set. That usually is the domain of more experienced players like Graf.
And isn’t she pretty? No wonder overnight she became the new tennis teen sensation and the game’s new pin up girl. She’s got miles to go and the road ahead is tough. Its pretty exhausting for a tennis pro to play on the circuit and stay away from home. Its even more so for an Indian perky teenager like Sania, as Indians are so attached to their homes unlike Europeans and Americans. She will need all the support from her fans, her family and the countrymen if she is to shine as India’s new Tennis Star. She must stay level headed like Sharapova and not let herself swayed off her feet by the commercial world, now ready to kiss her feet.
Well done Sania.