Bhupathi wants Sania to attack the net more

MUMBAI:US Open mixed doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi wants Sania Mirza to improve her serves and mobility besides seeking to see her attack the net more even as he predicted that the Indian teen sensation would break into the top ten in the world.

"She (Sania) has surprised all of us. We all expected her to break into the top 100, but she has exceeded all the expectations. I expect her to peak in three years," Bhupathi said here today on his return after clinching the US Open mixed doubles crown with Slovak partner Daniela Huntuchova.

"She has to stay healthy and she will surprise all of us even more. She has the ability to break into the top ten," Bhupathi said.

Asked what she needed to improve on, Bhupathi said, "her serves and mobility. I also would like to see her attack the net more. She has to work on her fitness too." Bhupathi praised the work put in by Sania's travelling coach John Farrington and said that the talented Hyderabad girl, whose glorious run in the US Open women's singles ended at the pre-quarter-final stage, would take a call on the coach at the end of this year.

"We (Bhupathi's company Globosport which handles Sania's marketing) let her take her own decisions. John (Farrington) has done a pretty good job. She would take a decision (whether to continue the arrangement with Farrington) at the end of the year," Bhupathi said.

The doubles specialist was in the city to announce the commercial tie up of suburban Andheri's "The Club" with the "Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy", based in Bangalore.