Brett to Sania: Keep at it

BANGALORE: As energy sapping as the climb has been so far for Sania Mirza — from number 206 at the start of the season to number 48 this week — the steeper tests are yet to come. Aussie super coach Bob Brett, who helped the teenaged Indian make the crucial jump from promising junior to performing pro, said: "Until now she was like a child in a toy shop. Everything was new and fun. It’s an experience." "In tennis, the big jump is from 30 to 20; the bigger one is from 20 to 10 and the biggest of them all is from 10 to the pinnacle. Sania has already shown that she can play with the big girls. Next she will have to go from winning two and three good matches a week and playing quarterfinals to playing five good matches and winning tournaments. It is a lot of hard work from here," Brett told TOI in a telephone interview from his San Remo base. Brett hastened to add that his comments shouldn’t take away from what the 18-year-old has achieved on the tour in the last few months. "What I am trying to say is that given her weapons this is just the beginning. The forehand is among the biggest in the women’s game if not the biggest. It is the acceleration of her arm that makes the shot what it is. She can do just about anything with that shot." "It is important for her now to stay healthy and keep at it week in and week out. Only regular competition will help her gain the consistency so crucial in making those next jumps," Brett added. The Aussie, who had earlier coached Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker, was widely expected to continue as Sania’s coach. But Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport, failed to arrive at a suitable solution and Bhupathi opted for John Farrington earlier in the summer while keeping the Brett option open for Sania if and when she needed it.