Sania Mirza gets John Farrington as travelling coach

INDIAN tennis sensation Sania Mirza will soon have a travelling coach -- John Farrington of the Bahamas. According to Sania`s father Imran Mirza, Farrington will be with her initially for eight weeks till the US Open.

"Initially, he will be with her for eight weeks, beginning with the $200,000 WTA tournament, at Cincinnati, from July 18," Mirza said. Sania, who went down fighting world number five Svetlana Kuznestova in the second round of Wimbledon, will play six WTA tournaments in the US before the US Open, where she will get direct entry into the main draw.

Sania’s father says that she needs to improve her game further ahead of big events. "There is always room for improvement. Second serve and net play are the areas where she needs to improve. She also needs to get her timing right," he said, expressing the hope that Farrington would help her improve in some grey areas of the game.

He clarified that Sania would continue to be coached by Bob Brett, who is the former coach of Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic.

The decision to hire Farrington came after Mahesh Bhupathi recommended him. Farrington is the former coach of Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, the doubles team ranked third in the world.

"The need for a travelling coach was felt for a long time. Every player travels with seven to eight people. She is the only one who travels with her parents," said Mirza.

Imran agreed that there was also need for a trainer to accompany Sania during her tours. "But we have not decided about this," he said.

Sania defeated Japan`s Akiko Morigami, ranked four places above her, 6-3 3-6 8-6, in the first round but lost to Kuznestova in the next round after a tough battle.

Sania had created history this January when she advanced to the third round of the Australian Open. She, thus, became the first Indian girl to reach the third round of a Grand Slam. This was followed by yet another win at the Hyderabad Open when she became the first Indian to win a WTA title. However, she did not have a good run in the subsequent tournaments as an ankle injury continued to trouble her.