Sania’ Trailblazer ‘Mirza

A Rare Talent

She had shown signs of some amazing raw talent at a very early age. Her father, a Sports Journalist, did not take long to fathom, that his daughter was blessed with awesome potential and decided to back her to the hilt, in making her a player of international reckoning. It was going to be a tough fight but the belief was even tougher. There was no looking back. An incredible story was about to unfold.

A Determined Family

A determined family, a father who gave it all and a  daughter who just did not disappoint, fighting stereotypes and competitors alike to emerge as one of the most decorated and influential sports personalities in India. This is the story of Sania Mirza, India’s no.1 women’s Tennis player who made headlines with her brilliant play, won silverware galore and made the country proud no end.

A Focussed Father

Professional Tennis is a tough sport. It requires skill, physical strength, endless training hours, immense travelling, specialised coaching and of course lots of money. You need to invest to get something out of it. Its a sport which takes a heavy tool both on the body and also on the pocket. However Imran Mirza was unfazed. He was absolutely sure of his daughter and therefore took a massive step to take her  to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Boarding  School in Florida.

A Refusal from Nick Bollettieri

Established in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri, the Tennis Boarding School had become famous for its  extraordinary training methods that made players handle the punishing professional Tennis Circuit with aplomb. The training school had already produced Champions like Andre Agassi and Jim Courier and was in the process of developing Monica Seles and Mary Pearce to name a few. Imran Mirza was prepared to pay the fees, but still Sania Mirza was denied admission by Nick Bollettieri himself. Though he did not doubt her ability as a player he was not too sure if she could bear out the tough training schedules physically. It was a  setback for Imran and Sania Mirza. 

Fearsome Forehand 

Sania Mirza : A Torchbearer

The father-daughter duo, though disappointed, did not lose hope and went about their ways of putting  a fruitful training programme in place. Sania was developing as a player and simply had no competition in the country. On the international circuit she was improving as well. Her forehand was fearsome and she had the power to match strokes for strokes with strong international players. She started making headway in  Grand Slam Tournaments too and at the 2006 Australian Open she became the  first female Indian player to be seeded at  a Grand Slam Tournament. By mid 2007 she  had   reached 27 th in the world, the highest  ranking for any Indian  player.  However the progress in singles was cut short due to a wrist injury and then Sania focussed on doubles.

World no. 1 in Doubles

Sania revelled in doubles and became a force to reckon with. She enjoyed success pairing  with Elena Vesnina and Cara Black, but her major victories came with Martina Hingis winning the Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015 and the Australian Open in 2016. Sania Mirza became world’s no.1 doubles player and held on to this position for a good 91 weeks. She also won the Australian Open, French Open and the US  Open in the mixed doubles category. Sania had established herself as a recognisable figure in Tennis world wide and coupled  with her impressive personality, she achieved celebrity status both in India and abroad.

Recognition and Farewell

In 2016, Sania Mirza was named amongst the 100 most  influential people in the world by the Times Magazine. The same magazine had also named her amongst 50 Heroes of Asia in 2005 and in 2010 Econonic Times named her amongst 33 women who had made India proud. In 2013 she was named  UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia. Not to mention the several civilian awards conferred on her by the a Indian Govt. Sania eventually hung her boots with the just concluded Australian Open being her last tournament. Her swan song ended with a loss in the  Finals of the mixed doubles event. 

A Trailblazer 

A trendsetter  of  a career, an icon of the Sport which inspired  a nation,  came to a stop. Sania showed how singular focus, determination, uncompromising hardwork and a self  belief carved in stone,  is the perfect recipe for accomplishing enormous success.

Sania Mirza, a true…Trailblazer 

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Featured Image : Sania Mirza / courtesy Rediffmail