Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza was born in Mumbai on November 15, 1986. The first of two daughters in a Muslim family with a modern outlook, her enthusiasm in the sport was nurtured by her parents. Sania later shifted to Hyderabad where she was coached by her father Liman Mirza. She began playing tennis at the age of six.
In a country which obsesses over cricket, a mention of tennis normally conjures up images of Vijay Amritraj, Leander Paes or Mahesh Bhupathi. Women’s tennis used to be as insignificant as any other sport involving women in India. To Sania, goes the singular credit of having evoked interest in women’s tennis. She is the face of Indian tennis, the idol who has set an archetype for numerous Indian girls. Sania won the 2003 Wimbledon
Championships’ Girls’ Doubles title. In 2005, Sania was the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament. In 2005 she also reached the third round of the Australian Open losing to the eventual champion Serena Williams. Sania Mirza holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament when she was seeded 26th in the U.S. Open. Her best performance till date remains her second round appearance at the French Open in 2007. Sania, the youth sensation has managed to secure 31st WTA rank for herself thanks to her good performance in the Bank of West Classic at Stanford.
The popularity of this young lady can be gauged by the fact that the Delhi University has been considering featuring Sania Mirza along with the likes of APJ Abdul Kalam in English text books in Delhi University’s BA programme. Sania Mirza has been awarded the “Arjuna: award” for outstanding achievement in National sports by the Indian government in the year 2004. What makes this young lady, such a good role model for other youth is the fact that she strikes such a good balance. If on one hand she is committed to her sport, on the other hand she is like every other teenager interested in movies, music and fashion. An ode to this young one would be incomplete without mention of her keen fashion attitude. Her t-shirts, worn both on and off court, spell an attitude which is simultaneously hip, cool, and in your face. No one wants to mess with Sania when she is wearing a Tee that reads, “You can either agree with me or be wrong”. Another Tee shirt of Sania’s when she played at Wimbledon sported a message; “well behaved women rarely make history-. it drew amused smiles from the young and old like.
Success has meant a lot of things to Sania. It has meant ‘that there are blogs especially dedicated to her, a fan following that is quick to imitate her style whether it’s her nose ring or the way she wears her hair, or her glasses. All this could easily go to the head in one so young. yet Sania continues to plod on ahead. Sania’s determination to prove her worth shines through every stroke she makes. Her ambition to be in the top twenty seems no longer a dream but a reality waiting to happen. Success has also meant that critics have criticized everything from her forehand and backhand to her ways of dressing as well. However in the midst of it all, the accusations and the media gossip, Sania has maintained a brave face, never for once letting herself or her community or religion or her family down. She has maintained that what she wears on court is her professional necessity and nothing more. Truly this young lady deserves to be the youth icon that she is.
