What happened to Sania Mirza?

 But is that a fair question to ask?

At least we had an Indian tennis player who captured the imagination of the people.  Young boys and girls wanted to play tennis seeing her in action.  There was also as usual a spate of babies with the names ‘Sania’ born around the time she peaked in popularity.  So far so good. She also gave it as good as she got especially to the Mullahs who wanted our Sania to play as long as she wore a Burqua, possibly also hand gloves that extended till the elbow, a veil and basically they might as well had asked her to jump in a sack in the locker room before she came on to the court.  She was brave and also knew when to stop giving sound bites as much as she knew when to sound them. So far really good.  With resource limitations and the cascading effect it has on everything- quality of training, support staff, travel, accommodation, Sania still managed to overcome these and become the possessor of a decent game.  Believe me, this is a compliment of the highest order.  It is tough anyway to pick a game no plays and knows anything about apart from something or someone called Navratilova and McEnroe.  So she did smash the ceiling that ends with cricket.  Admirable, really.

But then came a spate of injuries, involving knee, hips, wrists, that can spell doom for your game. Surgeries followed and finally at 26, Sania has admitted that it takes longer to recover and there are always niggles; that she is ready to hang up her boots soon and hopes that she can win a few more slams before that.  At 26 the same age as Maria Sharapova or Marion Bartoli is 28 or Any Murray is 26.  But again, is it fair to judge Sania Mirza vis-à-vis the world’s top players?  Absolutely not.  So I shall continue with my column and keep these players entirely at bay.  They will be mentioned henceforth for reference purposes only. 

Whenever I have watched Mirza’s game, two things strike me immediately- the number of unforced errors and her attitude/ state of mind concerning her game off the court.  Sania Mirza’s highest ranking was 27.  Her approach to ‘unforced errors’ was very surprising to say the least.  When asked about it after a defeat (where these jokers played a very prominent part), she replied that unforced errors are not important and one has to look beyond them.  And here I thought that these errors cost matches! But then again what do I know, I am just an amateur player and commentator on the game.  In one of the matches against one of the top 10 players (I forget the name), the play was really lamentable, there were no rallies, the opponent would serve, Sania would hit, the opponent would return and Sania would hit into the net or wide or long or high anywhere but within the court.  Understandably, I could see the frustration on her opponent’s face. Are you surprised?  I am not, it is like a seasoned player playing a novice or a weaker player.  The caliber of the opponents play totally puts your game off, you cannot find the rhythm, there are no rallies that help you settle down in the game and also read your rival’s game.  But then reading it not that big a problem (the game is just one line long- she is making n number of unforced errors) as much as finding your rhythm is.  Finally the tragedy of this game ended shortly, Sania’s opponent was relieved and I am sure so was Sania.  My point here is what happened to Sania’s game? How did it dip to such a level where errors started costing her matches and threatened to loom over her entire game.  That she had a strong forehand was known, that she was courageous was a given (otherwise you cannot make in this individual sport) but how about some mental mettle?  How about that determination to excel? 

I have read reports of her requesting the CM of Andhra Pradesh to grant her land to start a training academy even when she was far from retiring. If I remember right, she had just started to blossom and media had taken notice of her and she was playing well.  I have never seen her game where I can just rest assured that this is going to be a winning shot. Alas, Sania had made friends with the net.  She has since moved on to doubling her presence in life and on the court in form of marriage and doubles.  But that is even more tricky.  I have watched Bhupathi and Sania in action and it can safely be said that while Bhupathi earned some great points, Mirza squandered them with wayward tennis, But they have managed to win the French Open Mixed Double Championship. Unbelievable but true.  It makes me sad to think that a player that everything going for her was let down possible because I feel that her desire to excel let her down. When you see the Top 20 and their training, dedication to train and improve, it make you feel that you are constantly falling short regardless of the effort you take.  Age-wise, 26 yrs. hardly the age to talk about retirement and I am not confusing this with the wisdom to know when to quit.

Sania Mirza has started the eponymous tennis training academy in Hyderabad and I hope, I really do that she creates little Sanias, both boys and girls in India who will hit a mean forehand..sorry a winning forehand and who do not know the meaning of unforced errors. I hope she and her team of coaches will instill in them this desire to excel and a determination to win.  Having a great support staff does leave you to deal with your game without any burdens in your heart or head.

Good Luck Sania!