Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi rave about 'Parineeta'!

Sania Mirza, India's mega star of tennis fame, has kept herself busy during the Wimbledon fortnight. Guess how? Besides checking out the shops at Oxford Street and Knightsbridge in London last week, on Friday night, when play was cancelled, she went to Leicester Square for dinner, to Chowki and then watched 'Parineeta' at the VUE site there. "I chilled out," she said. "It is a beautiful movie!"

India's other tennis biggie, Mahesh Bhupathi (who professionally played with Leander Paes earlier), married to supermodel Shwetha Jaishanker, said, "I've been coming to Wimbledon for 12 years now and London is my favourite city. I always stay at St. James Court. I don't shop here though as it's too expensive." Ask him what he did on Sunday, and he remarks, "Got an early night. Saw 'Parineeta'!"

Sania scrapes through to second round in the doubles

Sania Mirza kept her flickering Wimbledon hopes alive as she and Sweden’s Simon Aspelin managed to thwart the challenge of Argentinian-Australian duo of Gaston Etlis and Lisa McShea 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of the mixed doubles.

Mahesh Bhupathi and Mary Pierce defeated local hope David Sherwood and Elena Baltacha 6-3, 6-4 to set a second round clash with second seed Wayne and Cara Black of USA.

Trailing by one set, the Sania-Aspelin pair stretched themselves before they could win the next two and seal the match in their favour yesterday.

It was a match which saw swinging fortunes. The first set witnessed some close contest and went into the tie-breaker which the Indo-Swede pair lost 5-7. It was a wake up call for Sania and for Aspelin who had reached the men’s doubles quarter-finals here last year. They came into their own in the second set winning it comprehensively 6-2 but the sailing was not going to be so smooth in the next as Etlis and McShea bounced back.

The third set was also a very close call as the Indo-Swede pair of Sania and Aspelin pocketed it 7-5 to book a berth in the next round.

Sania-Aspelin will face the seventh seed Czech-Slovak duo of Leos Friedl and Janette Husarova in the second round.

Sania will remain a youth icon

The Asian Age India | R. Mohan

Chennai: Sania Mirza lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. Who cares? Sania is a winner. She comes through as a vivacious teenager who will remain a youth icon for long even as her ground strokes leave some opponents bewildered on tennis courts around the world circuit. More significantly, Sania displays a certain aggression on court which makes her tennis well worth watching.

She is no tyro, no weeping Indian maiden with a litany of complaints about the system, as if we were still in the era of state support as in former East Germany where the envelopes also came with doses of steroid.

Yes, Sania is a winner in the new open era of Indian sport, the leading representative of a confident India with a free market that also supports its sportspeople, especially those with the charisma to bring a return to the sponsor.

There is a certain simplicity and straightforwardness to her tennis, too. She is not the stereotypical Indian player with the assumed cerebral prowess and the wrist work to suit the image of the oriental charmer, capable of dainty strokes but lacking the killer punch to make it all the way.

Her flat strokes without great dependence on top spin make fast courts her best surface. Wimbledon suits her game best. On the revered turf of Centre Court, on her maiden appearance there, she traded shots with a player several rungs up the rankings and was within a winning stroke or two of taking the decider long into the Indian night. An outstanding feature of her tennis is her aggression, her forehand being a thing of beauty even as it packs an awesome wallop.

Whether she wins or loses, she represents greater value in sporting competition than anyone who beats the Minardis home in the high tech, yet mechanical world of Formula One.

She may suffer from ankle problems and was said to have spent a troubled night before Wednesday's match with a stomach muscle strain. But she is not the sort to point to those weaknesses. The vibes that come out of her honest, teenage torrent of words are positive. They reveal clarity of thinking that will take her atop the razzamatazz of the world of hyperbole she has perforce to perform in.

The attacking player must suffer from a deliberate shunning of percentage play. But that she dares to keep attacking is what makes her a very unusual Indian player. She may not be the type to listen to advice like "hang in there, girl". She likes to make things happen. Some day, somewhere, such belligerence will pay off, in a good week when fitness is close to 100 percent, Sania is capable of a huge win.

At one point in the match against Svetlana, she was angry enough with herself as to bang her racket into the ground to earn a code of conduct warning.

Even that said a lot. She has the rage, she wants to win and that shows how different this new generation of Indian sportspeople is. So captivating is she on the television screen that she will not suffer from lack of product lines to endorse.

She will be the face of Indian sport on the distaff side, and she has the pretty face to be that, too. More importantly, she has the strokes to send the pulse racing and she dares to play them freely.

Sania wants Muslim women inspired

London: Sania Mirza may have suffered a heartbreaking end to her Wimbledon dream but she believes her battling Centre Court appearance can strike a blow for the sporting aspirations of other Muslim women in India.

The 18-year-old is a devout Muslim and she stands against those who question her commitment to her religion on the basis of her participation in a sport which relies so heavily on femininity and sex appeal.

"Some people have some problems with the dress code. Maybe I wear short skirts but I pray five times a day and do the things that other Muslims do," said Mirza after her 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 defeat to Russian fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"Some men keep a beard and don't do the things they are supposed to. It's between me and my God and it's between me and my parents. Who cares what people say? I just hope I will encourage more Muslim women to come out and play.

"You don't care what people think or what people expect or what people want. I know I'm playing for myself, my country, and I'm winning. "I'm representing my country. You know, that's all that matters for me," she said.

Growing up in Hyderabad, Mirza idolised cricket star Sachin Tendulkar and harboured hopes of one day becoming a doctor.

That was until she walked on to a tennis court during one day and discovered she had an exceptional talent. Mirza was inundated with calls after the match.

"My phone hasn't stopped buzzing since then. I got a lot of messages saying, 'Even though you lost, you won the match'."

"But I hope I'll have many more Centre Court matches to play. I hope I'll be here the second Saturday on Centre court."

Good girls don't make history: Sania

Sania Mirza appeared at a Wimbledon press conference wearing a pink T-shirt with the slogan: 'well-behaved women rarely make history'. Hours earlier in defeat on Wednesday, she showed the grit that has helped her attract sponsors and made her India's richest female athlete.Her current sponsorship income dwarfs what Bhupathi and fellow Indian Leander Paes made when they were the top doubles team around. Bhupathi won three Grand Slam doubles titles with Paes, and the pair received one of India's highest civilian honors, the Padma Shri, four years ago. "Endorsement-wise, she's gone leaps and bounds ahead of what we were doing," Bhupathi, now ranked 12th in doubles, said in an interview at Wimbledon. "India has never had an athlete at the world stage, so it's something new. The country has taken to her," he said.

Sania lost the opening set against US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on Centre Court and won the second-set tiebreak to force a decider. Trailing 5-2 in the final set, the 18-year-old Indian fought back to 5-4 only for Kuznetsova, sixth in the world, to serve out for victory after two hours, 17 minutes. Sania is ranked 75th. "She's got a presence and vitality to match her ability," Piyush Pandey, group president of Mumbai-based advertising company Ogilvy & Mather India, said in an interview. "She's got an attitude that young people love," says Mr Pandey.

In February at her home event at the Hyderabad Open, she became the first Indian woman to win a singles title, a victory that her agent Mahesh Bhupathi said sparked at least a dozen endorsement offers. Sania makes 2.6 million rupees ($60,000) a year in off-court earnings and has contracts with companies such as Hindustan Petroleum Corp, India's second-biggest state-owned refiner, and Tata Tea Ltd, the world's no 2 tea company. Although she trails Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who earns at least $5 million a year from sponsors, Sania has helped make tennis the country's second-most popular sports.

Wimbledon: The joys of anonymity for Sania

Teenager Sania Mirza is as famous as a Bollywood film star back home in India. At Wimbledon she revelled in her anonymity.But she will be certain of a tumultuous welcome back in her hometown of Hyderabad after making history at Wimbledon.

She became the first Indian woman player ever to make it through to the second round of the world's most famous tennis tournament with a dogged victory over Japan's Akiko Morigami.

Then the feisty 18-year-old made US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova fight every inch of the way before finally succumbing in a scrappy three-set thriller on Wednesday. In the past five months, Mirza has become a sporting idol in India, where she has to have security guards protecting her wherever she goes.

"I would prefer to stay at home rather than go out for coffee with friends. When I am sitting there, I know everyone is looking. I would rather not have a security guard look at me 12 hours a day. The amount of fame and adulation that I get in India is immense and I enjoy every moment of it. But sometimes it is a little too much. Every step I take here I enjoy. I just walk over here instead of going in the car. I cannot do that in India," she said.

At home, she suddenly had to face the full glare of celebrity after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam at the Australian Open in January.

Then her 1 billion compatriots really sat up and took notice when she became the first woman from the sub-continent to win a WTA title -- and she did it in her hometown.

Mirza is fiercely proud of being a role model because Indian women have never matched the success of male players like Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes.

"I just hope more people can now believe that women can do it in India," she said.

"We have had a lot of men playing but not too many women. Some women didn't have the proper facilities, some probably get married early and some just don't have the financial support," she added.

Sania guns for zappy armoury

Sania Mirza’s fighting defeat at the hands of fifth seed (and world No 4) Svetlana Kuznetsova showed, yet again, that she’s little more than a step away from the really big time. What she needs, conventional wisdom has it, is a fulltime personal coach.And that’s exactly what Team Sania has lined up for her. From July 17, when she begins her hard-court season, Sania will have an American travelling coach, says her father Imran. He refused to give out a name, though, saying his daughter would make it public.

‘‘It wouldn’t be a long-term commitment’’, Imran told The Indian Express.

‘‘We are looking at an initial eight-week run leading up to the US Open.’’ t’s a decision long overdue, but better late than never. As Imran said, ‘‘If we have to improve then we have to get professional.’’

So how would a coach help Sania? The most basic benefit would be having a hitting partner on tour. So far the help she gets is amateurish, though well-meaning, but for a player as dependent on rhythm and timing as she is, it is a gaping hole in her match preparation.

‘‘That half-an-hour stint is usually enough for any player to enter a match in a positive frame of mind’’, Imran says.

The more important benefit would, of course, be having someone sort out her technical flaws, chief of which is her very poor serve.

While Sania trained under various top coaches in India, it was only after 10 years that Krishna Bhupathi pointed out that she had a problem with her service — which Bob Brett was called in to correct. She’s now improved her first service to a 60-per cent average.

Yet her serve remains a serious technical flaw and severe handicap, one that she has to counter with other weapons. Her will to perform under pressure (witness her recovery from 2-5 to 4-5 in the third set against Svetlana) coupled with a stinging, accurate forehand, are two of her most potent weapons.

As Vijay Amritraj observed before her match against Svetlana, Sania’s backhand and forehand can match the best in the world, ‘‘but a little work on her approach to the net and on her service can work wonders’’.

Sania has displayed her talent, now she has to deliver on it. To do that, she must make up a lot of lost ground on the big stars — Maria Sharapova, for example — who have been coached by the best since the age of eight or nine.

A travelling coach is a good first step. And living out of India wouldn’t be a bad second step.

Media dubs Sania Indian tigress

LONDON: India's Sania Mirza may have crashed out of the Wimbledon tennis championships after losing to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, but her combative Centre Court show has won admiration from the British media.

"Magical Mirza the centre of attention: Kuznetsova the conqueror, but Indian tigress holds the aces," The Guardian declared on Thursday.

"She handled the Centre Court occasion with characteristic flair, swiveling into brilliantly struck forehands with astonishing racket-head speed, gradually overcoming her nerves, recovering from her mistakes, making a dramatic surge at the finish, and handling bristling press conferences as though they were a natural extension of her life," the paper said.

Mirza, who lost 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, Wednesday exuded charm and confidence in her post-match interview.

"This was Wimbledon Centre Court, not any old centre court, and you just have to go out there and try to win," she said.

Asked if she could explain what went wrong after her winning the second-set tiebreak, Sania replied, "Nothing went wrong. What separated us was the volley at break point at 4-5 (in the final set) - an amazing volley from her (Kuznetsova)." The Guardian said many people "hardly seemed to notice that the Russian was victorious".

According to The Times , Sania has the "power and audacity to go much further but will need to cut down on unforced errors”.

"Centre Court will want to see more of the temperamental teenager breaking the mould of the traditional Indian woman as well as records every time she steps on a court."

At the press conference, the 18-year-old was also asked about her famous temper - she broke her racket in Wednesday's match after flinging it to the ground, earning the umpire's code-of-conduct warning.

"I was telling myself to keep cool but I still lost my temper once," Sania said.

"But I loved every minute of it. I gave everything I had and it was a close match. But I want to play on Centre Court again."

The Sun , Britain's highest-circulation newspaper, noted that after the match Sania wore a T-shirt with the words: "Well-behaved women rarely make history".

Sania to partner Simon Aspelin in mixed doubles

London, Jun 23 (PTI) Sania Mirza would have one more chance to corner Wimbledon glory when she takes to the court in the mixed doubles event here.
The 18-year-old has teamed up with Sweden's Simon Aspelin and would take on Gaston Eltis of Argentina and Lisa McShea of Australia in the opening round.

Sania, who has already caught the eye of the English public and media, lost in the first round of the ladies doubles and went down to US Open Champion and World No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the ladies singles second round.

Multiple grand slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi will this time team up with former French Open champion Mary Pierce in the mixed doubles.

The Indo-French duo will take on British pair of David Sherwood and Elena Baltacha in the opening round.

It was not my best match: Sania

London, After impressing one and all with her valiant performance in the second round of Ladies' Singles in Wimbledon, Sania Mirza is not ready to rate it as the best match of her fledgling career.
"I lost the match, whatever it was. Even if I played the best tennis of my life, I still lost the match. I still think when I played her in Dubai that was the best match of my career because I won it," the 18-year-old Indian said after pushing World No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova to the wall on the hallowed Centre Court of Wimbeldon.

Sania, who beat Kuznetsova in the Dubai Open earlier this year, did not think her victory in Emirates gave her some psychological edge .

"Well, it has to be at the back of her mind that I had beaten her before. She was ready for it. You could see, whatever my ranking is, whatever her ranking is, I think she was ready from the start. She knew I could come back and I knew she could always come back.

"When I went out there, I didn't think that I had beaten her in Dubai or anything like that. Every day is a different day. It just depends on how you play on that particular day. I think we matched each other point to point except for that one point where she made an exceptionally good volley," Sania said.

Sania Mirza leaves a huge impression

The Sania Mirza fairytale is unlikely to develop dark shadows — because it is not a fairytale at all.

It is a story of sweat and toil, superlative racquet skills and rare courage in the face of adversity, as we found out on the hallowed lawns of the most famous tennis court in the world on Wednesday.

This much is sure: she is here to stay.

Well, Sania did not exactly say that. But, as the 18-year old Indian, playing in her first Wimbledon in the women's event, made her racquet do all the talking, the message that came through was clear to everyone.

And Sania, world ranked 72, could not have issued a bolder statement on a more revered stage than she did on Wednesday at the spiritual home of tennis against the U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, world ranked No. 5.

Nerveless display

Showing no signs of stage fear, the Hyderabad teenager came up with a nerveless display of attacking tennis, exploding on the ball fearlessly and rocking her Russian opponent, seeded five, on her heels on the baseline.

In the end, Kuznetsova's greater experience and Sania's inability to take her foot off the pedal at the corners made all the difference as the Russian won the second round match 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 in two hours and 18 minutes.

"Remember the name,'' said the venerable John Barrett on BBC TV at the end of the match. "We are going to hear a lot more about her.''

No fluke

Those who had discounted Sania's straight sets victory over Kuznetsova in the Dubai Duty Free Open earlier this year as a success largely aided by the vocal support she received from the fans would have been forced to revise their opinion. For, rarely has an Indian — man or woman — played with such courage, conviction and shotmaking skills on the Wimbledon centre court as Sania did this afternoon.

Some of Sania's forehand winners took your breath away as she timed her shots to perfection and boldly went for the lines, betraying the instincts of a born gambler.

To be sure, Kuznetsova is no Maria Sharapova. The Russian struggled with her serves and did not seem to have a Plan B when she found out that Sania was feeding on the pace she was being offered with great relish. It was only late in the match that the Russian mixed things up and employed tactics worthy of her status in the game.

Sania started confidently, winning the first two games of the match in only six minutes. Kuznetsova came back to level at 4-4 and then a poor service game from the Indian saw her Russian opponent take the first set.

Sania served for the second set in the 10th game but lost serve before taking control of the tiebreak with a brave forehand crosscourt return winner.

In the decider, Kuznetsova twice broke Sania from 2-2 but the Indian broke back in the eighth game, when the Russian first served for the match. Finally, the fifth seed came up with the shot of the match, a low stab volley on breakpoint and then had to serve at her very best to close out the match in the 10th game.

I loved it: Sania

LONDON: "As a kid you always dream of playing on the Wimbledon Centre Court. For me, it came true very early in my life,'' said Sania Mirza after losing a close match to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the second round on Wednesday.

"It's everyone's dream. I loved it. It was great. I enjoyed every minute out there,'' she said.

Sania said she couldn't go to sleep last night as she was thinking about her first centre court appearance.

"I was a little nervous at the start but shut everything out and tried to play my best tennis,'' Sania said. "When you are out there, you forget all that.''

Saying it was a "close match where we matched each other shot for shot,'' Sania said what separated her from Kuznetsova was "that volley she made on breakpoint (in the last game of the match).''

Sania crashes out of Wimbledon

Sania Mirza put up a brave effort but it was not enough as Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova won the battle of teenagers in the women's singles second round match of the Wimbledon tennis championship in London on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Indian showed great fighting qualities before losing 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 in 137 minutes.

Sania, who had her fifth ranked opponent in trouble on a number of occasions, saw all her hard work going in vain on the Centre Court of the All England Lawn Tennis Club after failing to be benefited from the advantageous position she had put herself in with some fine play.

The loss meant that Sania, the world number 75, failed to reproduce her performance of the Dubai Open where she had beaten her more fancied opponent earlier this year.

Sania, playing on her favourite grass court, also failed to match her Australian Open feat where she had made it to the third round.

Sania loses in doubles @ Wimbledon

INDIAN tennis sensation Sania Mirza and Anna Chakvetadze, of Russia, meekly surrendered in the first round of Ladies` doubles at the Wimbledon Grand Slam Tennis championships, on Tuesday.

The Indo-Russian pair, which had reached the second round in the French Open, lost in straight sets 2-6 1-6 to Alina Jidkova of Russia and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine.

In the first set, Sania and Anna were broken in the sixth and eighth game, while in the second set they lost serve in the fourth and sixth game to bow out of the competition without offering much resistance.

Sania happy to conquer first round blues at Wimbledon

New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) After battling past vastly experienced Japanese Akiko Morigami to reach the second round of Ladies' Singles in the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Sania Mirza today was happy with her form.
"I was expecting a tough match and she played a great match," Sania, the World No. 75, said after her 6-3, 3-6, 8-6 first round win yesterday.

The 18-year-old Indian, whose season went off track with a nagging foot injury after the Dubai Open, did not want to read too much into her success as she said "I know I cannot win every match I play but I am happy with the way I played." "I played a bit patchy at times and it could have gone either way. In the end, I am glad I came through," she told NDTV channel.

Sania now runs into World No. 5 and US Open champions Svetlena Kuznetsova, whom she had upset at the Dubai Open, in the second round.

Sania Mirza returns to Japan's Akiko Morigami during their Women's Singles first round match at Wimbledon on Monday. Sania defeated Morigami 6-3 3-6 8-6. 

Sania Mirza adapting to life as India's Sharapova

LONDON, Sania Mirza still has a long way to go before her tennis credentials can be compared with Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.

Off court, however, Indian Mirza has got plenty in common with her fellow 18-year-old.

Mirza has already had a taste of the celebrity that surrounds Sharapova even though her greatest achievement to date is to reach the third round of the Australian Open in January and to win a low-key WTA tournament in her hometown of Hyderabad.

That she was the first Indian woman to accomplish either feat has sent her popularity soaring among her one billion compatriots.

In five months, she has become a sporting idol, a fashion icon and like Sharapova, needs her own entourage of burly security guards whenever she steps out from the confines of her own home.

"The attention fazes me everywhere," said Mirza after she marked her debut appearance in the main draw at Wimbledon by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the second round on Monday.

"It's a tough life. It's very busy ... it's very different.

"I think in India they have not had a woman (in sport) in something so big, and people are very excited. Suddenly, when I go out, I need security.

"You know, it's something that you cannot ... it's not in my control, what people expect from me. They probably expect a lot more than what I can actually do.

"But do I think it's fair, no, but there's not much I can do about it," she added after overcoming Japan's Akiko Morigami 6-3 3-6 8-6.

"It wasn't that today at 6-6 (in the final set) I was thinking, 'Oh, people back home expect me to win this match'.

"It was that I have to win it because I want to win it."Even if I would have lost the match, to be honest, I would have been equally satisfied because I gave 120 percent out there."

Such is Mirza's drawing power, she has also managed to do something that was once thought impossible in India -- take some attention away from cricket.

Despite the ever-growing demands on her young life, Mirza has been quick to master the responsibility of being a role model.

"I think that's one thing that really satisfies me is when young boys come up and say, 'I want to be a tennis player', because in India, it's been a tradition that if you're a guy, you play cricket.

"People don't even expect you to play any other sport. I like it when parents come up and say, 'I want my son to be a tennis player'.

"It's really nice that people get inspired and I just hope that we'll have many more tennis players from India coming up at this level."

It's again celebration time at Sania's Home

Sports News, Hyderabad, It is celebration time again at Imran Mirza's house here as his daughter and teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza advanced to the second round at Wimbledon.

"It is nice to see her again winning matches," said a beaming Imran after talking to Sania over phone soon after she defeated Japan's Akiko Morigami.

"I knew it was not going to be an easy match. Morigami is a tough opponent. But I am happy that Sania gave a superb performance to beat her after a tough contest," said Imran.

The 18-year-old Sania, ranked 75, defeated Morigami, ranked four places above her, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6.

Imran believed that Sania would have an advantage in the second round as she would meet Russian fifth-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. "It will also be a tough match but I think Sania will have a psychological advantage," he said.

Sania had upset US Open champion Svetlana in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 at the Dubai Open in March.

However, that was her last good performance as an ankle injury continued to trouble her and she suffered a series of defeats, including an early exit from the French Open.

Sania mirza reaches second round of Wimbeldon

Sports News, LONDON - Teenager Sania Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach the second round of Wimbledon with a battling 6-3 3-6 8-6 victory over Japan's Akiko Morigami on Monday.

Mirza arrived at the All England Club having already achieved an impressive list of firsts during 2005 and further boosted her growing reputation by bludgeoning her opponent into submission.

Mirza's victory set up an intriguing second-round showdown with U.S. Open champion and fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who thrashed Briton Rebecca Llewellyn 6-0 6-1 on Monday and will now be aiming to avenge her surprise defeat by the Indian in Dubai earlier this year.

The 18-year-old Mirza turned into an overnight celebrity in her homeland after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam at the Australian Open in January.

After following that up by becoming the first woman from the sub-continent to win a WTA title, in her home town of Hyderabad, and to crack the world's top 100, expectations of a good run at Wimbledon had been high.

However, Morigami, who at 71 in the world is ranked four places above Mirza, threatened to tear up the script.

Mirza twice fought back from a break down in the third set before levelling it at 4-4.

Enjoying the majority of the crowd support on court 17, Mirza kept her cool in the humid conditions and got her forehand firing winners in all direction to gain the break back in the fourth and eighth games.

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Sania Mirza slips to 75 in WTA rankings

Bangalore:Ahead of her Wimbledon campaign in London, Sania Mirza slipped three places to be world number 75 in the latest rankings released by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) today.
Sania, who had early round exits in a couple of tournaments in the run up to the Wimbledon, was last week placed at 72.

The Indian teenager would start in the year's third Grand Slam with a match against Akiko Morigami of Japan, who dropped seven places to be at 71, later in the day.

United States' Lindsay Davenport retained her top spot followed by Maria Sharapova of Russia and French woman Amelie Mauresmo.

AP minister serves advice to Sania

HYDERABAD: After Shah Rukh Khan, it is now the turn of sports minister M Satyanarayana Rao to advise tennis star Sania Mirza to focus on her game.

Rao, who is known for his controversial statements, advised Sania not to get distracted from her game. "There are no dearth of players in the state and Sania Mirza is an example. But the upcoming tennis player should focus on her game and not get carried away by commercial endorsements," the sports minister told reporters on Sunday.

"My only advise to Sania is to make sport as her core focus," he said. The sports minister claimed that he would bring more funds from the Centre to take up various programmes in his department. "Being one of the senior Congressmen in the country, I will use my clout to get more funds from the Centre," he said.

No more ankle pain for Sania

Sania Mirza said she is no more bothered by an ankle injury that has troubled for most of the year and is prepared to give her best shot at Wimbledon starting in London on Monday.

The teenager had made a great start to the year, reaching the third round in Australian Open, before the injury troubled her in several tournaments and she struggled to live up to the expectations of tennis lovers.

"The ankle is actually fine. It's not been bothering me. I've been strengthening it for the past few weeks so it's been fine," Sania said.

"It's just a question of getting match-fit, I guess. Otherwise I'm feeling good and able to hit all my shots. It's not really a worry, no."

Sania said she was not pinning too much hopes on her performance at the Wimbledon, where she would be playing for the first time at the senior level.

"It's my first Wimbledon and there are hopefully many more to come. I just want to go out there and give my best and give whatever I have.

"It's my third Grand Slam of the year and obviously there is no pressure on me to win so I just want to go out there and give my best in the first match," she told Zee Sports in an interview.

The girl from Hyderabad said she was quite satisfied with her performance in the run up to the Grand Slam.

"It's pretty good, I had a good match the other day (in the Tier-II meet in Eastbourne), just bad luck that I had five match points and just couldn't convert any one of them.

"But I am just coming back after an injury so I'm feeling good. I like the grass and I'm playing alright, hopefully things will work-out at Wimbledon."

Sania, ranked 72 in the world, is drawn to play Akiko Morigami of Japan in the first round of the event.

"I have been going there (Wimbledon) for the past four years. I've been playing juniors, having won the junior doubles in 2003.

"I like playing on grass, I like playing on fast surfaces. I'm just looking forward to it because it's my first women's singles over there and I want to see how I fare.

"It's been a great year for me. I started off pretty well from January from the Australian Open. I hope things go the same way."

On crowd expectations back home, Sania said her fans were probably expecting too much from her.

"There is a lot of pressure and there is a lot of expectation. Probably they expect much more than what I can really do," she said.

"But when you achieve something and you are one of the very few to achieve from that country, I guess you have to go through that pressure.

"I just want to go out there and give my best, as long as I know I am giving my 120 per cent every time I walk out on court, I don't think winning and losing is that important."

But at the same time she asked her fans to support her.

The Indian, who was knocked out in the first round of the French Open, said she preferred grass over clay courts.

"Well, actually a lot of clay is only in Europe. Clay is not one of my favourite surfaces obviously. But I try and play more tournaments on hard.

"We play on hard almost throughout the year, except that period before the French. Playing on grass is easier for me than playing on clay, so I guess I'm looking forward to it."

On her plans for the year, she said "I'm going to be home for a couple of weeks and then we leave for the United States. I'll probably be there for a couple of months and probably play a little bit, rest a little bit and then finish off with the US Open."

Sania's mother Naseema also said that they were looking for a travelling coach for the player.

"It is tough to watch her play when you are alone with her on the circuit. You need some more support from somebody else maybe help with a travelling coach or something, we are looking for one.

"The level what she is playing right now, she's just playing 25 k or 50 k level, now she has come to the WTA level where she needs a travelling coach with her so that he can guide her step by step as to how to plan the game, how to play with the opponent, which till now we were handling but WTA kind of thing we cannot handle right now."

`They already expect too much': Sania

London: After the sensational Australian Open breakthrough, followed by a celebrated triumph in Hyderabad and a frustrating battle with injuries, Sania Mirza journeyed back down to earth at the French Open.

And, after less than six months in the spotlight, the young woman might be excused if she were to believe that she's seen it all. More than the ones on the court, the battle that Sania is struggling to come to terms with is the one she's waging to meet soaring expectations.

"They already expect too much," said Sania here on Saturday afternoon on the way to practice. "I am not even looking beyond the first round. It is one match at a time," she said.

Sania, world ranked 72, plays Akiko Morigami of Japan, ranked 64, in the first round and a victory would possibly earn her a shot at the fifth seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Sania Mirza partners with Russian Anna Chakvetadze for wimbledon

Sania Mirza partnering Russian Anna Chakvetadze drew relatively easier rivals in the first round of women's doubles in the Wimbledon tennis championships beginning here on Monday.
The Sania-Anna duo will take on Alina Jidkova of Russia and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine in the opening round tie of the doubles competition beginning on June 21.

Sania, who played alongside world no 43 Anna in the French Open and reached the second round, will be hoping for a better show at the All England grass courts where she won the junior doubles title in 2003.

In women's singles, World No 72 Sania will take on Japan's Akiko Morigami in the first round.

Sania to face Morigami first at Wimbledon

Sania Mirza, who is going through a lean patch, will face Akiko Morigami of Japan in her first women's round singles match at the Wimbledon tennis championships, starting on Monday.

It may seem an easy opener for the Indian sensation, but 72^nd-ranked woman needs to be on guard against her 25-year-old opponent who made it to the third round of the French Open last month.

If Sania, who was knocked out in the first round at Rolland Garros, gets past the 64^th ranked Morigami, she could face US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia next.

The fifth-seeded Russian, who will meet unheralded Rebecca Llewellyn of Great Britain in her opening clash at the All England Tennis Club, had lost to Sania in the Dubai Open in April.

The Indian teenager, who won girls' doubles title at Wimbledon two years ago, is going through a tough time since returning from an ankle injury.

Besides suffering a first round exit in the French Open, she failed to progress in some of the grass court events in the run-up to Wimbledon.

Sania improves ranking, now 72

Her lacklustre show in recent times notwithstanding, Sania Mirza has improved her world ranking by three places in the latest WTA rating list released on Monday.

The 18-year-old Indian who is preparing for the Wimbledon tennis championships beginning next week moved up to 72 from her last week's ranking of 75. Her career best ranking was 70 which she touched last month before slipping a few places in the next few weeks.

The Indian has a good chance to improve her rankings further in the coming weeks when she plays in the Wimbledon, which is played on her favourite surface grass.

Sania’s poor run continues

NEW DELHI: In yet another disappointing performance, Sania Mirza failed to qualify for the Hastings Directs International tennis championships losing her first round qualifying tie in Eastbourne, England. Sania, who lost to Jalena Jankovic in the second round of the DFS Classic last week, could not find a place in the main draw of the Tier II grass court event as she suffered a 1-6 7-6 (6) 5-7 defeat against Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, ranked 64. Sania had five match points, two while she was at 5-2 in the second and three more at 5-2 in the decider, but her opponent came back strongly to turn the tables on her, according to information received here. The Thai girl reached the second round of the qualifying event ahead of the main tournament to be played from June 13 to 18 at the Devonshire Park. The Indian, whose WTA rankings has slipped to 75th from 70th following her first round exit in the French Open, was here to tune up for Wimbledon Grand Slam by participating in the grasscourt championships.

Shahrukh Khan voted youth icon, beats Sania Mirza in poll

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan was today voted as the 'Youth Icon' in an opinion poll that saw the actor beating the young tennis player Sania Mirza to second place.

Khan was crowned the Youth Icon by Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director of MTV, the leading music channel and organisers of the contest, at a press conference here yesterday.

Don't get lost in commercialisation, Shahrukh tells Sania

Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, who was on Thursday voted the 'Youth Icon' through an opinion poll conducted by leading music channel MTV, urged young tennis star Sania Mirza to focus on her game and not to get lost in 'commercialisation' aspect.

Shahrukh, who beat Sania and won the maximum number of votes in the poll, said, "I think Sania is an achiever. She has played a sport that has a lot of international competition and where it is not easy dethroning someone."

"She is doing a great job and we are proud of her but my only advise to her is not to get lost in the commercialisation aspect and make sport the core focus," he said.

Voting for the contest was held from March 18 to May 1. Over one lakh people cast their votes through SMS, online and telephone calls. This year's contenders for the title were Sania Mirza, Sonia Gandhi, Azim Premji, Sonu Nigam, Irfan Pathan, Manish Malhotra and Shahrukh Khan.

Going down the memory lane, Shahrukh said the people he looked up to when he was a youth, included Mother Teresa. "I also thought Imran Khan was an outstanding sportsman. Thought Michael Jackson is currently going through difficult times, he was one person I really liked," admitted the actor.

On whether he thought of making it big when he began as an aspirant, the actor said, "No, I never thought I would make it this big because I never planned or set any tangible goals, but always lived for the moment."

"I always believe that the task I am doing at a given moment is the most important in my life and nothing else matters," he said while underlining the key to his success.

On his advise to the young aspirants to make a foray into the film world and nursing starry dreams, he said, "I am sure I would like if every Delhiite made it big here, but it depends. If one is focussed, one has the talent and potential then why not, but it all depends..…"

On issue of ban on smoking on screen, he said, "If the health ministry has done it, they would have studied and researched the issue and hence we must accept it."

"Personally speaking, I think what is shown on screen can impact people either positively or negatively, it depends," he said and advised the youth not to drink, not to smoke and above all, not to take drugs.

Sania's sister focusses on shooting

Wimbledon is not the only place where Sania Mirza will be up against stiff competition. She could face sibling rivalry at home.

Sania's kid sister, Anam too plans to be a sportswoman. The only difference is that she is planning to hit bull's eye in the arena of shooting.

The class VI student's daily haunt in the afternoon for the last six weeks has been the shooting range in Hyderabad where she practises on the 10 m range pistol.

"I had gone to a fun fair in Mumbai where I shot ten out of ten balloons. So I turned to my mother and said I want to take up shooting," said Anam Mirza, Sania's sister.

Sights on shooting

While Sania remains an inspiration Anam's role model is Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

And it does not bother Anam that the world number 75 tennis player does not think too much of shooting as a sport.

"She says it is such a boring game. She is more fond of sporty games like running etc. But I like this," said Anam Mirza.

Sania started holding a racquet when she was six. Anam says at 11, she is old enough to pull the trigger.

And she would be more than keen to prove that like Sania, she too will hit bull's eye one day on the world stage.

sania mirza during a conference 

Sania during a commercial shoot 

I was stalked: Sania Mirza

Tennis queen Sania Mirza enjoys iconic status in the sub-continent. Her feats of winning the Junior girls doubles Wimbledon title and later becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour title have made her into a celebrity in India.

An indicator of her popularity can be gauged from the fact that she attracted a television audience of 38 million during her historic maiden WTA Tour title. But then success and fame come at a price.

In a startling revelation she was quoted in The Guardian, that she also has been a victim of stalking. “I even have intruders coming into the house; it’s pretty frightening,” Sania revealed.

“There was this guy. He was a little strange. He kept sending gifts. He also came right into the house. I have a security guard now. Whenever I go out I have to go with my guard and it can be a problem. At night I have an extra security guard.”

As for her preparation for Wimbledon, she faced a set back yesterday when she bowed out of the DFS Classic tournament in Birmingham, England in the second round losing to third seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia Montenegro. Mirza lost 1-6 5-7 in one hour and nine minutes

Sania bows out of DFS Classic meet in Birmingham

New Delhi: Sania Mirza’s Wimbledon preparations faced a set back when she bowed out of the DFS Classic meet in Birmingham in the second round on Tuesday, losing to third seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia Montenegro in straight sets.

The 18-year-old Indian failed to avenge her loss to Jankovic, who had defeated her in the Dubai Open earlier this year, as she lost 1-6, 5-7 in one hour and nine minutes, according to information received here.

Sania had her chances in the first set but failed to convert as many as three break points, while Jankovic broke her opponent’s serve thrice in four chances that came her way.

After losing the first set, Sania came back strongly with two breaks and led 4-3 at one stage in the second set.

But the Hyderabad Open winner soon surrendered her advantage as Jankovic broke back to make it 4-4 and then threatened to take the match when she had four match points in the 10th game.

Sania made it 5-5, but Jankovic again hit back, forcing two more match points in the 12th game

Sania Mirza has it easy , To meet Jelena Jankovic in second round

BIRMINGHAM: Sania Mirza easily beat Claudine Schaul 6-2, 6-0 on Monday in the first round of the DFS Classic, a grass-court warm-up event for Wimbledon.

Sania, who this year became the first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour title, served well on the marshy surface, and stunned Schaul.

In February, Sania won the Hyderabad Open in her homeland, and beat U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in Dubai a few weeks later. The results have placed unrealistic pressure on her from countrymen, sometimes to her discomfort.

"I know that every sentence I speak will be analysed, and everything that I do and every move that I make," Sania said. "The expectations and pressure are immense. Everyone now expects me to win and if I don't it's `How could you lose?'"

Mirza will next face Jelena Jankovic, who beat the Indian player in the quarterfinals at Dubai. Eleventh-seeded Virginie Razzano and 12th-seeded Evgenia Linetskaya also won on Monday. Razzano beat Carly Gullickson 6-4, 7-6(4) and Linetskaya topped Abigail Spears 6-2, 7-6(4).

Other winners included Stephanie Foretz, Anne Kremer, Mashona Washington and Anna Chakvetadze.

Meanwhile, in London, Xavier Malisse of Belgium scored a 6-2, 6-0 over South Korea's Hyung-taik Lee in the first round of the Stella Artois Championship. Also through to the second round were Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, England's Greg Rusedski and American Robby Ginepri.

The results:

At Queens: Stella Artois ATP Championships: First round: Xavier Malisse bt Hyung-taik Lee 6-2, 6-0; Victor Hanescu bt Scott Draper 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez bt Jean-Rene Lisnard 7-6(2), 6-1; Robby Ginepri bt Lars Burgsmuller 6-2, 6-2; Davide Sanguinetti bt Bjorn Phau 6-2, 7-6(6); Greg Rusedski bt Joshua Goodall 6-3, 6-4; Gregory Carraz bt Sargis Sargsian 3-0 (retd.); Karol Beck bt Wayne Arthurs 7-5, 6-4; Davide Sanguinetti bt Bjorn Phau 6-2, 7-6(8).

At Halle: Gerry Weber ATP Open: Guillermo Canas bt Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer bt Alberto Martin 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(3); Marat Safin bt Alexander Popp 6-3, 6-2; Olivier Rochus bt Cyril Saulnier 6-4, 6-4; Fernando Mayer bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 7-6(4), Fernando Lopez bt Kenneth Carlsen 7-6(3), 7-6(5), Olivier Rochus bt Cyril Saulnier 6-4, 6-4.

At Birmingham: DFS Classic WTA tournament: Sania Mirza bt Claudine Schaul 6-2, 6-0; Anne Kremer bt Tatiana Perebiynis 7-5, 6-2; Stephanie Foretz bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-4, 6-3; Virginie Razzano bt Carly Gullickson 6-4, 7-6(4); Anna Chakvetadze bt Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 6-4, 6-3; Mashona Washington bt Tatiana Panova 6-3, 6-3; Evgenia Linetskaya bt Abigail Spears 6-2, 7-6(4); Samantha Stosur bt Antonella Serra Zanetti 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-2; Arantxa Parra Santonja bt Maria Elena Camerin 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Sania slips to 75 in world ranking

New Delhi, June 6: The first round exit in the French Open tennis championship saw Sania Mirza slip five places in the WTA Tour ranking released on Monday.Sania, who had climbed to a career best 70 at the start of the second grand slam of the year, is now in 75th spot with 458.25 ranking points.

The 18-year-old kick starts her grass court season with the DFS Classic at Birmingham this week and would be hoping that the performance here and Wimbledon would help her get near her target of reaching the top 50 by the end of the year.

Sikha Uberoi also slipped two spots to 136 with 265.50 ranking points after she failed to qualify for the French Open and also the DFS Classic.

Sania meets Schaul

New Delhi: Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza will begin her grass court season at the DFS Classic in Birmingham on Monday. The 70th-ranked Indian faces Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg in the first round of the event which is a tune-up to Wimbledon.

Sania's Fed Cup partner, Shikha Uberoi, bowed out in the first qualifying round, losing 6-3, 6-3 to South Africa's Natalie Grandin.

Sania Mirza is tipped to win Hero Indian Sports Academy's `Sportsman of the Year' award

NEW DELHI: Olympic silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will have to beat two cricketers and a chess master to win the Hero Indian Sports Academy's (HISA) `Sportsman of the Year'. His contenders are triple centurion Virender Sehwag, India's batting mainstay Rahul Dravid and Viswanathan Anand.

Sania Mirza leads the women's pack that includes long jumper Anju George and shooters Suma Shirur and Anjali Bhagwat-Vedpathak.

The HISA on Thursday announced the list of nominees in 15 categories for the year 2005, which takes into account performances between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004. The award ceremony will be held on July 9 in Bangalore after Delhi hosted the inaugural event and Hyderabad had it last year. The award carries a statuette and Rs. one lakh in cash.

The nominees were short-listed through the voting done by sports journalists from around the country. The founding members of the HISA will now vote through a secret ballot to choose the winners.

The nominees: Sportsman of the year: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Virender Sehwag, Viswanathan Anand and Rahul Dravid.

Sportswoman of the year: Anju George, Sania Mirza, Suma Shirur and Anjali Bhagwat-Vedpathak.

Team of the year: Cricket (men), Shotgun shooting (men), Chess (men), Junior hockey (men).

Athletics: Anju George, Bobby Aloysius and Harishankar Roy.

Chess: Viswanathan Anand, P. Harikrishna, K. Humpy and D. Harika.

Cricket: Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar.

Billiards and Snooker: Pankaj Advani, Alok Kumar, Devendra Joshi and Geet Sethi.

Football: S. Venkatesh, Tomba Singh, Mahesh Gawli and Climax Lawrence.

Golf: Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Rahil Gangjee and Ashok Kumar.

Hockey: Adrian D'Souza, Dilip Tirkey, Gagan Ajit Singh and Tushar Khandekar.

Shooting: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Suma Shirur, Anjali Bhagwat-Vedpathak and Mansher Singh.

Tennis: Sania Mirza, Karan Rastogi, Prakash Amritraj Harsh Mankad and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Outstanding performance in other sports: Satyadev Prasad (archery), Aparna Popat (badminton), Sourav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa (both squash).

Young achiever (male): P. Harikrishna (chess), Shikhar Dhawan (cricket), Karan Rastogi (tennis) and Ronak Pandit (shooting).

Young achiever (female): D. Harika, K. Humpy (both chess), Sania Mirza (tennis) and Joshna Chinappa (squash).

Love notes to Sania found in jail

AHMEDABAD: Five major jails of the state were raided in a late night operation on Thursday, throwing up interesting seizures such as CDs, ganja and love letters to tennis star Sania Mirza.

The raids were in connection with a recent incident where a convict was found with a mobile phone in one of the barracks of the state’s biggest prison, the Sabarmati central jail.

The state government is said to have taken a serious note of the incident and, in a joint operation involving teams of the home department, district administration officials and the police, raided the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhuj and Surat jails beginning 7.15 pm when all prisoners are expected to be in the barracks.

The raids went on till late in the night, according to senior police officials and were timed after visiting hours

I had a decent match at French Open: Sania

Sania Mirza shurgged off her disappointment of first round loss at the French Open on her maiden appearance, saying she played a "decent match" given her injury circumstances.Eighteen-year old Sania, on the comeback trail from an eight-week lay off following an ankle injury, went down 3-6 3-6 to Gisela Dulko of Argentina after earning a direct entry into the main draw.

"It is ok, I knew it would be a tough match," Sania told PTI. "She (Dulko) is ranked 30th in the world and being an Argentine, knows her clay.

"I played a decent match. Kept coming up with my shots, but she played a good match today." The Indian, who trained with renowned coach Bob Brett in Italy before returning to the courts, said her prime goal throughout the past week and this had been to regain peak fitness.

"Of course I was trying to beat her. But besides the winning and losing, my aim had been to try and get match fit. At this moment, I still have to know how my ankle feels," she said.

Sania said she developed a tight lower abdomen while playing at the $170,000 WTA Tour event in Strasbourg last week but denied it affected her performance today.

She is entered in the doubles with Anna Chakvetadze of Russia. "Of course, I will give my best," she said.

After the French Open, Sania would be playing in a grass court in Birmingham in the lead up to Wimbledon where she has a direct entry. "Very excited about it (Wimbledon), grass any day suits my game than clay," Sania said.

sania @ French Open

Sania Mirza returns the ball to Kristina Brandi of Puerto Rico and Nana Miyagi of Japan during their women’s doubles match in the first round of the French Open at Roland Garros . Sania and team-mate Anna Chakvetadze of Russia won 6-2, 6-3. — AP/PTI photo

If Sania Mirza’s focus on the game is lost, all will be lost

“Sania’s French Open campaign ended in a whimper” was how newspaper reports described her 3-6, 3-6 singles first round loss to 30th ranked Dulco of Argentina. This is exactly what I was dreading. What do fans expect from Sania? Helplessly tossed on the crest of a promotional tsunami, bulging with hysterical endorsement money, expectations from Sania are sky high and far beyond her current standard of play. She seems to be propped up on the wobbly stilts of two lucky performances early in the year.

The route to the top echelons take a minimum of three to four years of grinding work. There is no shortcut. You require ‘blood and guts’. Do not dismiss this as a cliché, it is for real. Last Tuesday I watched two 18-year-olds, Maria Sharapova and Evgenia Linetskaya, play amazing first round matches. They were breathtaking encounters of baseline rallies at unbelievable speed. Some rallies were over 10-12 shots from corner to corner. Both, girls never showed any signs of getting tired even in the final set – such is the level of skill and fitness required.

Sania has a long way to go to reach her optimum attainable physical fitness. It is no easy matter and requires time and the best available advice.

Believe me, it is a daunting task. A few early losses will spark further criticism from the press and bring Sania down to her real level. This will be a big test for her as it could result in a drop in endorsements. One hopes that it will spur her on to greater effort and inspire her to achieve her potential.

At this stage, when one sees the other talent in her age-group, it would be foolish to consider her top class international material.

Having said all this, one has to concede that there is something special about Sania. Beating Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was then ranked No. 3 in the world, was of great significance. It projects a fearless positive attitude. Even when she played against Serena Williams in the Australian Open she was not at all intimidated. She has courage and a fighting heart. These can make good some of Sania’s shortcomings but at the moment the gap is too much and cannot be bridged by her current game.

Taking the full picture in view, Sania’s contribution to women’s tennis cannot be overlooked. It has brought a ray of hope to struggling youngsters who were resigned to the depressing role of being knocked about in low level tournaments. They now feel that they too can break through if they persevere. Even in other spheres of activity Sania’s sparkle and positive attitude will no doubt help liberate women, especially those leading a cloistered existence.

The recent advertising blitz of unparalleled intensity converted the initial admiration for Sania to jealous hostility. Non achievers panther enviously over cups of tea about the crores she has made. They compare Sania to Anju Bobby George who was third in the long jump in the World Championships and has not received a fraction of the endorsements or support. But how is Sania to blame for this? Why should she not grab such an opportunity with both hands?

For her career it is necessary to strike a balance between promotional commitments and the paramount necessity of working on her physical fitness, coaching stints and tournaments schedules. If Sania’s focus on the game is lost, all will be lost. She enjoys the comforting luxuries of a closely knit family. She should steer clear of financial matters and hand them over to her father and mother.

I am looking forward to seeing her at Wimbledon and am sure that she will give a much better account of herself on grass courts.

Sania shouldn’t let the grass grow under her clay feet

When the clay has settled, Sania would be the first to realise that she has entered the big league. Beating a 70-ranked player might have been an achievement months ago; it is an expectation now.

For Sania, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. If she has to stay in the league, she has to work — hard — on her game, constantly improve and innovate. When her ankle injury took her out, she was causing a series of upsets; she’d beaten three players from the top 100 in her first three tournaments. She hasn’t looked the same player after the layoff, when, ideally, she would have wanted to be at her best against more serious competition she finds herself in.

On her comeback, she has lost three matches (including the one at Roland Garros) and has won only one — against a player ranked 226.

Life was always going to be tough in the Top 100. Players in double-digit rankings have much more variety in their game, which they use to telling effect. The ‘‘extra bit’’, which Sania has pulled out of her hat on occasion to overwhelm higher-ranked opponents, just isn’t enough.

What Sania needs is variety. She broke Gisella Dulko four times in the first round and still lost, because she couldn’t come up with something new to unsettle her 30th-seeded opponent. What separated the two were the weapons they both had in their arsenal.

Even accounting for the fact that clay is not Sania’s preferred surface, she showed an alarming range of limitations — including her serve, once again — and was easily overpowered by Dulko’s all-round game.

Sania’s advantage now is that the circuit moves to the faster grass and hard-court surfaces that she prefers. Her famous big forehands will fetch bigger dividends — but she must also work on her serve and consistency.