Sania's ACE

The newly anointed 'Superstar' has a confession. "Excuse me, I'm no no path-breaker, youth icon, superstar... thank you. It's the media that labels people. Yes, it feels great to have brought women's tennis into the limelight. In India, you're a successful sportsperson only if you're a cricketer... but hello, I'm not. Neither is Narain Karthikeyan. So, it's an achievement getting recognition for my sport," says Sania Mirza under the April sun as it burnishes hard on Centre Court, RK Khanna Tennis Stadium.

Despite her plain-speak, her life has been quite opulent these past four months. Number crunchers, please note. Same time last year, when the Fed Cup was on, she was ranked in the 300s. In January 2005, she was No 168. And then came the Australian Open. "Not every Indian girl can dream of playing against Serena Williams. It excites people to see an Indian girl play at that level. It's been the greatest four months of my life. There comes a time in every player's life when she makes her BIG breakthrough... that was it for me. I wasn't doing anything different but everything fell in place, everything clicked."

So much so, Sania pushed herself to the max. Probably beyond it. "Being on a winning streak, I wanted to keep on going. Australia happened, Hyderabad happened, Dubai happened. I pushed my limits. I've been on three painkillers a day for the past three months. I was in plaster in Dubai when I beat US Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova." That was fantasy. Cut to reality. There's excessive fluid in both her ankles, the oedema in the left one is yet to subside. "After the recent Miami event, doctors told me the left ankle could need an operation. I was kinda peaking and now this injury comes up. It's disappointing."

Still, that hasn't stopped one more public ride on the roller-coaster that is Sania's life. Will she or won't she play the Fed Cup? "Just like I stretched myself, people want me to really stretch it and play. Indians are never satisfied with what they have... they want more. The final decision on my participation lies with my doctor, BN Reddy."

No self-anointed saint, this girl-woman (she's 18) lives life on her own terms. "Sania's librarian glasses, earrings, T-shirts, jeans... hey, I'm just being myself. I would wear the same stuff, do the same things even if I wasn't a tennis player. Nobody would have noticed this if I wasn't famous."

Blame it on the 'famous' tag... Miss Mirza has been anointed the new Midas. But if she's pleased, she isn't showing it. "Endorsements? Get this clear: I'm not running after ad deals. I've assigned 25 days a year for ads and I'd rather wrap up my commitments during this time off so that I can focus on my game once I get back to playing." That's that. This -- the Next Level -- is this. "Obviously, I want to move up to the next level... break into the top 50 by this year and, ultimately, into the top 10. The difference between a top 10 player and the rest is part physical, part mental. If you have the legs, shoulder strength, you'll be running hard and firing aces deep into the third set. Look at Serena... see her and you feel: what chance do I have, she's going to outhit me anyway. But the top players are mentally tough too... they play the big points better. " They don't teach you all this Harvard Business School. So Sania's learnt her stuff from "Steffi Graff, my idol; Roger Federer; and Serena, the toughest player going."

Once upon a time, she was the proverbial outsider. Just a fairytale opening chapter later, she's the quintessential achiever. "Tennis still remains my No 1 priority. I'm not being distracted -- neither by my recent success nor by the fame that comes with it." Finally, the come-on line. "Life has changed, but I haven't. I'm still the same." Tennis might grow smaller, and one day in the very distant future, so might her instant nirvana of today. But Sania Mirza will always be BIG. She's made that breakthrough, remember?