Sania mania in soccerland

KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 17: Sania Mirza slipped into the city late last night and practised on Centre Court at the Netaji Indoor Stadium this morning before anyone had woken up to reality.

The most sought-after sports icon currently in the country, the Hyderabad girl did her best to be as low-profile as possible — never an easy task in Kolkata and impossible today. From the media to the man on the street, everyone wanted in on the story. Even when the draw was made, the only point of interest was whom she would play in the first round. And when it was known that she’d play a qualifier, and so have a longer run here, the relief was audible.

Hours after the draw, the only matches that were assured of being sold out were the ones featuring Sania. That would mean around 30,000 cheering for her; the fact that she’s third seed — behind the Russians Anastasia Myskina and Elena Likhovtseva — is irrelevant.

The anticipation had been building up ever since she lost early in Bali a few days ago. The organisers did their bit to add to the tension, by refusing to divulge her arrival and practice schedule.

When she finally did show up, she was protected by heavy, and constant, security. Even the media was kept away when she stepped on court for practice in the evening.

An official from Globosport, the tournament organisers, explained: ‘‘Her parents don’t want pictures of her practising to be in the papers tomorrow.’’

Sania herself sought to play down the hype and the expectations. ‘‘I think people should start facing reality, they should start accepting the fact that I am going to lose matches.’’

This was in response to a question on whether her first-round loss in the WTA at Bali soon after reaching the fourth round at Flushing Meadows was largely due to the inconsistency in her game. ‘‘You think so?’’, she shot back. ‘‘I was 141 at the beginning of the year and am 34 now, I don’t think that is inconsistent.’’

Winning the Kolkata event, she said, would be tougher than the one at Hyderabad earlier this year where she emerged champion. ‘‘Just because I won at Hyderabad doesn’t mean I’m going to win this tournament as well. It’s a tougher tournament. I just have to go out there and play my game and hope for the best.’’

What will make things difficult for her is the fact that it’s an indoor tournament. ‘‘It’s a new experience for me, playing indoors in India’’, she said, though praising the surface at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Her first match is on the Centre Court at 7 pm on Tuesday. That’s still three whole days away.