Monday, Jul 07, 2003
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Tennis
By Our Sports Reporter
Well, by a wonderful coincidence Sania Mirza's mother, Nasima, was there at Wimbledon as her daughter won her maiden Grand Slam event picking the doubles title, partnering Russian Alisa Kleybanova in junior girls' section this evening transporting the family members back home to a different world. She created history in Indian girls' tennis. By any means, the 16-year-old Sania has come a long way ever since as a tiny tot she made her first appearance in a competitive event at the Ace Tennis Academy (Begumpet) in 1997. It is a tribute to the perseverance of her parents, Imran Mirza and Nasima Mirza, who defied all odds to promote their daughter's cause with indefatigable spirit. And, just before she left for the French Open and the Wimbledon, Sania pointed out in a chat with The Hindu that she badly needed a Grand Slam title to break into the elite group. It is pertinent to point out that with the exception of Sania, who was World ranked No.10 in juniors before the last two Grand Slams, all the other top nine have won one Grand Slam event. Now, that she achieved what many Indian girls can only dream of, Sania's career is clearly on an upswing from where she can only look ahead. That she has to stave off sponsorship problems what with AITA "releasing'' her before she left for the two Grand Slams only to see Globosport chip in to provide some relief, is itself a tribute to her fighting spirit. The Mirzas are grateful to acknowledge the continuous support of the GVK Group of Industries over the last few years which they feel was very timely and encouraging. Sania, the winner of 10 ITF singles and 11 ITF doubles, has been giving clear hints of her growing stature in the Asian circuit and this was evident when she combined so well with the French star Mary Pierce in the WTA Open in Hyderabad this February. "It has been a wonderful experience and a dream come true,'' said Sania then. For in her next event, Sania picked the singles title in the Nigerian ITF juniors tournament defeating German Franziska Kaetzel 6-3, 6-3. Sania's father, Imran Mirza, is delighted at the "amazing performance'' of her daughter. "We have been waiting for this for quite some time. Now, things should brighten up for Sania in the big league,'' was his first reaction. Even in this moment of triumph, Imran recalls the marked improvement Sania showed in her game after the one-week training session sometime back with the CGK Bhupathi Academy in Bangalore when the advice from the Senior Bhupathi was "to go up to meet the ball by tossing it higher for better results.'' But, her coach Vasudeva Reddy, former Davis Cupper from Hyderabad, rightly pointed out just before she left for this European sojourn "they were only trying to help Sania in some aspects of the game. She is already a champion player.'' Well, Sania Mirza has done the nation proud indeed!
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