Tennis is important in the life of Sania Mirza. But the legendary player says she has unleashed her aggressive game every time she stepped onto the court. The game has gifted her much more freedom. She says never been afraid to lose in her heart because it makes a player defensive.
The 36-year-old Indian tennis star notched wins against some of the best players of her era. Those players were mainly: then US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Swiss legend Martina Hingis, Nadia Petrova, and Flavia Penneta. (Read Also: Tennis player Iga Swiatek is eager to play in a steady manner)
Despite losing her singles matches to the game’s legends Serena Williams and Venus Williams, she did well against the American sisters.
“What made me so aggressive and this mentality was that I wasn’t really afraid of losing,” Sania said in an interview. “For me, tennis has always been and always will be a very, very big, big and important part of my life, but it’s not my whole life. And that’s the mindset I went with, even as a kid and as a professional athlete.
The worst that can happen is you lose a tennis match and then come back and try again. “So the fear of losing was not there. And I think a lot of people get defensive because they’re afraid of losing. They think, “Oh if we push the ball or throw the ball out, we might not lose.” But that’s not enough to become a top athlete in the long run. It’s only a tennis game to lose. As an athlete, you work to get as many wins as possible and such a risky style would not allow you to do that.
Did the defeats affect Sania?
Sania Mirza says, “No, they influenced me.But I knew I could try again next week. They shaped me back then, some defeats more than others. But I always knew this wasn’t the end of the world. It was only a tennis match to lose.”
The Forehand
The Indian snatched forehands from angles that seemed impossible. A style of play that has given her much success in her nearly two decades-long winning career with three Grand Slam women’s doubles. Trophies and just as many mixed doubles titles. So did it come naturally or did you have to work to develop it? “I think it was a bit of both. I think I have a gift with time. It’s the gift of the way I hit the ball. But I think there was a lot of work pending for my grip. A lot of effort went into adding variety to the recording.
“This was just a replay, there was a lot of work to make the recording tricky where people can’t read it. I think it was a mix of both. Reps, I think that’s what I can tell you and I’m working from different angles of the court.” Sania Adds up.
The Lost Olympics Gold Medal
Sania Mirza has gained medals in many multisport events such as CWG, and Asian Games but lost out on an Olympic medal. She came closest in 2016. Sania and Rohan Bopanna competed in the bronze medal play-offs but lost to Czech pairing Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradceka. “I am very happy with what I have achieved. Representing India at four Olympics was great. If I could go back a moment it would be the bronze medal game or the game before that when we were in the semi-finals.
