Sania to have a quiet 20th birthday

India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who rose to dizzy heights of the game during the year, will "quietly" celebrate her 20th birthday in Hyderabad on Tuesday, family members said.

Though career-wise it has been a successful year -- with her WTA ranking lifted from 170 to a record 31 -- the family has decided to opt for simple celebrations at home instead of a public extravaganza.

She will celebrate the day with father Imran Mirza, mother Naseema and younger sister Anam at their residence in Jubliee Hills neighbourhood.

"It will be a quiet birthday," Naseema said. "It will be a closed-door family affair.

"There are no plans to have any sponsorship announcement on that day," said Naseema, who along with Imran played a key role in shaping their daughter's career.

As for Sania's future goals, "we have not yet thought about them", she said.

Since her return last month from Thailand, where a back injury forced her to concede her second round match in the Thailand Open, Sania has been keeping a low profile and avoiding media attention.

She declined to speak at a couple of functions that she attended to endorse products.

The controversy over her dress code has only helped to push her further into a shell after a few Muslim religious leaders had termed her dresses on the tennis courts as "un-Islamic".

Family members said Sania was now taking complete rest to prepare for the next season. Well-known coach Tony Roche is likely to train her in a build-up to the Australian Open early next year.

It was at the Australian Open last year that Sania shot into the limelight, becoming the first Indian woman to reach the third round of any Grand Slam.

Ranked 166 before the Australian Open, she went down fighting against Serena Williams in the third round but that was enough to hike her ranking to 129.

It was a season of historic performances for Sania. Though her target was to end the current year by breaking into the top 50, she achieved this five months earlier. She ranked 31 in the latest WTA rankings released last week.

Her impressive performance at the Australian Open was followed by a title win at the Hyderabad WTA Open in February as she became the first Indian woman to achieve the feat.

The biggest win came at the Dubai Open in March, when she upset world No 4 and US Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Though troubled by an ankle injury and a first round exit at the French Open, Sania worked hard to make a comeback and reached the second round at Wimbledon. The meteoric rise continued in various WTA tournaments in US.

Sania then bettered her own record and created history by becoming the first Indian to enter the fourth round of the US Open. Though she lost to top seed Maria Sharapova, her performance left a huge impact and drew the world's attention.

Last month, she became the first Indian sportswoman to feature on the cover of Time magazine and was included in its 2005 list of Asian heroes. The magazine described her as a role model for women in India.

Sania, who was born in Mumbai on November 15, 1986, took to tennis at the age of five. Her international career started in 1999 with a world junior meet in Jakarta. She won the Junior ITF title at Islamabad and became No 1 among juniors in India the same year.

She hit the headlines in 2002 by winning the gold medal at the National Games and the bronze at the Busan Asian Games. The same year, she won three ITF titles.

Sania, who won the Wimbledon junior doubles title in 2003, has clinched a total of 12 ITF singles and five doubles titles.