Sania Mirza dreams of winning a Grand Slam

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza oozes confidence and is even daring to dream that she will one day win a Grand Slam, motivated by being Asia's great new hope.

"I'm no longer a rookie," the 19-year old said, making clear that she is lapping up the attention, but she still can't quite believe she is fielding questions about the possibility that she can one day win a Grand Slam.

"Winning a Grand Slam is definitely a dream. It is what we all play for but it is hard to say if I'm going to win one or when," she said.

Former Indian great Vijay Amritraj has already tipped her as a future Grand Slam champion, saying she "is on her way", praising her attitude and work ethic.

But Mirza knows that to have a chance of realising her dream, she must avoid the injuries that are increasingly striking down players.

"There are a lot of things that count in winning a Grand Slam, or even for that matter staying at the position where I am.

"The amount of injuries that we have, the amount of pressure we're putting on our bodies -- it is a very hard sport. I really don't want to put a timeframe on when I want to win a Grand Slam," said the Hyderabad native.

"The first goal for me is to pass the first round." Mirza shouldn't have a problem there, having drawn a qualifier, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in the opening round here.