Sania Mirza, the predicted future Indian tennis prodigy, is now struggling to find her form after a series of injuries.
When she won the junior Wimbledon doubles championship in the year 2003 partnering with Alias Kleybanova of Russia, she got not only fame but also respect. There were a lot of people who took to tennis after her.
She became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open 2005, which she eventually lost to the reigning No. 1 Serena Williams.
Mirza also has a number of WTA titles to her credit.
But, sadly all these achievements have probably gotten into her head or maybe her injuries have taken too much toll on her. Whatever the case might be, she is no longer what she used to be.
And like before, we Indians have again started relying on Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
Now, its not as if Sania doesn’t play these days, but whenever she does, either she has to retire because of injury or she gets mercilessly beaten. Her ranking has dropped from 32 to 98 currently.
We Indians nowadays see her more often in social circuits rather than on the court. She has become something of a Page 3 icon and often embroiled in link-ups.
She has become something like an Indian version of Anna Kournikova.
Her manner in which she reacts to her poor form is so infuriating that one might feel that she is one of the top three players who has lost a match.
And once again, it is because of the people’s attitude towards her that this happened. The minute she used to win any tournament, one could be sure of seeing Sania in some commercial by the next week.
It's not wrong for players to appear in ad films; but the way she used to appear, one could wonder if she was a tennis player or a model?
The result is before our eyes and it's not good, because seeing that talent go haywire is something that I cannot take anymore.
In a country with a population of 102 million people, whose population swears by cricket; very few get such an opportunity. Wasting it is absolutely not recommended!
It is not as if everybody maintains her form, but one does manage to recover it if she has lost it; with her, I am not so sure.
I may be judgmental, but seeing her perform the way she is now, I guess anyone can do that!
[Although, I sincerely hope that I am proven wrong, and she regains her form!]
30 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Mag May 9 months ago
I imagine it is difficult to be a role model in a rich culture where so much expectation awaits. She has accomplished what her talent and temperment would allow. Maybe too much expectation. Very interesting topic. Am anxious to hear more. Thanks Maggie
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
dude - i love this article, how refreshing to write bout Sania
here are my notes as i took em -
But, sadly all these achievements have probably gotten into her head - NO i dont think so
She has become something like an Indian version of Anna Kournikova. - NO thats a definite no
102 million people - India is 1.02 Billion - which translates to 1,020 Million (1.02 x 10^3) million
i think the fundamental problem was Rohini - Sania needed a solid coach, you might be surprised, but someone like brad gilbert
who know how to make someone win
ever since she started - her game was flashy, but streaky
she always played a high risk go for broke game, that eventually you will fail more than you win if you play that game
fel-lopez and fer-gonzo are the same way - they are brilliant, but they are risky and hence streaky
20 winners - and then 30 unforced
eventually - thats what brought her down ....
her game was too high risk - and for every out of the blue winner, she had equal unforced later, cant hold on the baseline with MA-SHA or Serena with suck streakiness
all that said - love this one, hence picking it
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Dev Ashish 9 months ago
Personally I never considered Sania as Slam winner! She has nothing in her repertoire except for her smashing forehand...a weak serve, even weaker backhand, lacks deftness in her volleys and worse, she struggles with her fitness! Add to it the Indian media frenzy and we have a superstar made out of an ordinary player! No doubt she can get better but she needs to get fitter and work on her weaknesses rather than her strengths to win at the top level! Till date except for her forehand which keeps getting better, her game hasnt improved in any department except tactically maybe but to win she needs to have an all round game and most importantly match fit!
Secondly, Kournikova had a better game, better stats and definitely better glam quotient! ;P
Good article though .. Keep writing!
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
First of all, thank you Long i never will get tired of saying this.you have said that i am wrong in saying that all these achievements have got into her head, could you please explain that?
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
you explain to me - how you think it has -
and i'll counter-point subsequently
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
because she seems to be parading everywhere instead of concentrating on her game, so then am i wrong in believing that she has got it on her head.
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
serena does - venus does - and my fav, MA-SHA does
does the fact they are winning - makes it not a problem
goofin around has got nothin to do with winning or losing, her game like i said is not based on consistency, but high risk -
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
ok....so thats the whole point....improve the game by getting a good coach who can teach her how to play consistently not by risk....
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
brad G
jose hig
and may be rochey-
someone - who understand points contruc ... andre would be a terrific choice, am not sure hes into coaching
+ she is in hyd, he lives in las vegas
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
andre - yeah, he will be perf for her, he can construct points beautifully with that whiplash backhand
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
btw one more question albeit a stupid one: is MA-SHA by any chance Maria Sharapova?
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
yep - i (or we in the tennis house - as in the best tennis site on the planet - www.tennis.com) called her MA-SHA
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Anup Shreedhar 9 months ago
Rohini, I doubt you have ever run a mile in your life and your armchair assessment of tennis is just brilliant. This athlete deserves a lot of respect for a lot of things, least of all for staying in the game after several people like you and others have "predicted" otherwise.
Keep up the good work and try working out once in a while. It might clear your cobwebs...
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Nikhil Mishra 9 months ago
Just because she's suffering from injuries...and haven't been playing a lot of matches (rather none since wimbledon i guess)...missed US open as well....her rankings are bound to drop....you (the article writter) are being too....toooooo..... judgemental.....
let her get fit and hit back the circuit...she'll surely prove you wrong
it ain't her fault...its people or journos like you who drag these sports personalities down or put them on pedestal.... and kindly refrain from using words like "we Indians"...m an Indian and i surely beg to differ from your "opinion".....
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
even when she is not suffering from injuries, she doesn't seem to be playing well, what will you say for that?
and if i am not wrong, she wasn't plagued with injuries until a couple of years ago? what happened then?
and i am not a journo, i am just a college student who is tired of watching her throw her attitude as if she is someone special.
you maybe different, but i think most of us feel the same about her.
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
yes anup, you are right, i haven't run a mile in my life;but if you will read my article closely, you will find that i've mentioned that she has talent and have written that i would be very happy to see myself being proved wrong.
yes, she does deserve praise, but i will say that all those praises should be till the time she was playing quality stuff.
but the problem is she just doen't perform, either she is busy showing off her 'attitude' or busy gettinh linked up with shahid and yuvraj!
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
one more thing, if fans of sania are still supporting her, why doesn't she let go her false ego and start playing in india?
why is she giving more importance to trivial issues instead of concentrationg on more importanat stuff??
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Syed Asghar 9 months ago
Rohini
you have written an excellent article and I commend you for it!
For all the nay-sayers here, it is "we Indians", no matter where we are! I am no exception ( I live in the US but have followed every bit of news about Sania. I know hundreds who do the same!)
Sania is followed by Indians all over the world and she knows it! But I doubt its her popularity that is getting in the way! I suspect that she has reached the point of her abilities.
One has to uderstand that playing on the international stage is not easy and there are limits to one's game. Regardless of the coach or facilities. One reaches the pinnacle of their game and then start to decline. I suspect Sania has reached that point and is now on the decline. Sad to say but true. Injuries are both a consequence as well as a hazard. Sania I suspect is not built to recover quickly and that eats into more of her game.
What Sania has done for Indian Tennis is remarkable and that is something she should be remembered for! No other single sports personality in Indian history (other than cricketers) have had such an impact on the Indian sports scene. And that is something one cannot take away from Sania!
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Syed Asghar 9 months ago
Anup:
please be respectful!
Rohini not running a mile has no bearing on the contents of her written word!
Why do you feel you need to attack the messenger personally for the excellent message she has shared with us? The job of any writer is to get the reader to think differently. I think Rohini has succeeded beautifully. Is there anyone here who thinks that Sania is not a promise gone haywire?
Its an old trick used by cowards to put someone on the defensive
Shame on you!
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Ken Lobo 9 months ago
Sania has always been over-rated. In a country of 1.2 billion that has never produced athletes of international standard in proportion to its population, anytime even an average player comes along in any sport, everyone tends to put them on a pedestal. So its not surprising that even limited success goes to their head and they start considering themselves to be greater than they are.
Yes, she is a good player, and a better player than we have seen in a long time on the Indian scene, but Grand Slam material she is not. By the way, winning in Doubles is altogether a different thing, it is more like a team sport. The result of the match depends on the strengths and weaknesses of four players and one person's contribution to the result is only 25% of the sum. Even an average player partnering with Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova can win a title in doubles. The real test is in the Singles where everything depends on an individual's skill and performance.
Sania has yet to win the Singles title in a major tournament, let alone a Grand Slam. In order to win a Grand Slam or be in the Top Ten requires tremendous discipline and focus on tennis and fitness. That is the trademark of all the top players in any sport. It is sad that Sania has indeed been distracted by fame and popularity and let a great opportunity slip by.
Lobo
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
so how do we change our attitude? or will we never change?
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Syed Asghar 9 months ago
We cannot!
What will hopefully happen is that more and more (and perhaps better) sports figures will emerge from the ranks (like Saina Nehwal) who are true competitors (and winners).
This shift would naturally sift the great from the good ones. Then we would have better returns for our expectation investment! Remember most of us admire & respect excellence not mediocrity, some will go for the glamor, I suppose.
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
i see you guys like this article a lot -
cheers
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Ken Lobo 9 months ago
This is definitely a very good article and has been followed by a very good discussion. My compliments to Rohini Iyer, and to everyone for their comments.
Ken Lobo
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Jonathan Rego 9 months ago
@Rohini: Good article. but a couple of points.
"all these achievements have probably gotten into her head"
This is a strong statement to make against , especially considering you do not know Sania personally. Sania is a revolutionary figure in the world of tennis not only in India but globally as well. Ask any random layman to name three sportswomen from India? Is Sania one of them? Thought so. Isn't that in itself an achievement? Sania is the first successful Indian lady tennis player to come out of India, and we already expect her to win Grand Slams?
Now that she has fallen in ranking, we criticize her for not doing enough.
If she had to maintain her ranking, we would have criticized her for not doing more.
If she climbed the rankings and stalled due to world class competition, we would have criticized her for not doing her best.
Do you see a pattern? Its not about the sports person, it is about our attitude towards their performance. It has always been that way.
That being said, my second point
"one more thing, if fans of sania are still supporting her, why doesn't she let go her false ego and start playing in india? why is she giving more importance to trivial issues instead of concentrationg on more importanat stuff??"
Here we are debating the impact physical injuries and 'page 3 antics' have had on her career. However, let us not forget to soon, that ever since this girl became The Sania Mirza, the entire country has been lambasting her instead of applauding her.
First the criticism on her clothes, then the fatwa against her, then the baseless criticism that she disrespected the national flag! Here is a girl creating history by truly beating the odds in a country where sports people are beaten down by bureaucracy, and instead of standing behind her the country turns against her at every step. If you follow the media close enough, a major part of the appreciation and encouragement that Sania has gotten for tennis comes from the Western media. It wont take rocket science to figure out why she refused to play in India at one point of time.
So, I respect your right to free speech and opinion, but it would do you good if you explore all angles of a story before putting it in black and white.
Keep up the good work.
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Rock 9 months ago
Sania has put Indian tennis on the global map. Full stop. She has never made India any proud. Just because she is the first woman player in the tennis from India, she has gained the recognition. Agree it or not, the looks department also contribute to the recognition factor on the global scale.
Her game is as erratic as you can get. If you feel that her talent has gone wasted, that is her problem. If she had the motivation to excel in tennis like anybody else, she must have gone to an academy like Maria Sharapova or Jelena Jankovic to prove her mettle. Trying to excel in the environment, which is not world class may not improve her game any further.
Now that she is done, I feel, it's better if she starts looking for a second career alternative rather than thinking herself a Queen of womens tennis and still trying to throw tantrums in the news channels or pulling herself from tournaments citing injuries. You are only as good as your second serve, and Sania as she admits, has got one of the worst second serves in women's tennis. "We Indians" in the article, as someone pointed out, is not acceptable by everyone.
/Rock
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Rohini Iyer 9 months ago
ok point taken.
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Sarav C 8 months ago
I dont understand what someone gains by bashing sania...I understand ppl want her to do well, but u have to limit ur expectations.. she didnt train in any of the coaching intense camps like sharapova or vaidisova or jankovic did, she played in clay courts with pot holes (yes i know cos i have played on them too) and still managed to become a world class athelete, and she is trying her best to perform..u think sania wud prefer fame and money to tennis titles??? definitely NOT!!
she has dropped in the rankings, yes but thats cos of her injuries ppl..she has been playing badly cos she hasnt been able to use her wrist well, and hence hasnt been able to play aggressively..
playing defensively isnt her style,she will never be a kim clijsters in covering the court..
i am not saying she has to go for broke, but controlled aggression is what is going to take for her to reach her top..
and where were u ppl when sania was doing so well in the fall season last yr?? she was unlucky and kept running into anna chakvetadze whose game is tough to handle for sania, but never the less she did play well last yr and reached the semis and finals a big tournaments..she just didnt get the good draws in the majors.. and when she did get them, she was badly injured..
that is why she is taking a lot of time off, cos she is trying to strengthen her body, and she is on the lookout for a good coach (almost forever) i just hope she finds one soon!!
and about the grandslam material thing, when marion bartoli can reach a wimbledon final, i am sure sania also has the potential, but u have to do the right things at the right time and most importantly be LUCKY!!
her wrist injury is a career threatening one, i am not sure we'll be seeing her forehand be as big as before, but i am sure she will try her best..
and whats about the things appearing in ads??? all the cricketers do it, even Anju bobby George did it for sometime.. they also have a family to support, and how do u think sania's gonna pay for a coach or a physio??
There's a lot of attention on sania, but that isnt what she needs.. she needs encouragement, well if u cant encourage, atleast dont bring her down.. remember she has never shied away from playing for India, she played the Olympics even though she was badly injured..she didnt win any medals, but isnt the Olympics about competing and not winning??
she wont play in India, cos ppl will make another petty lawsuit for wearing this or that... she has already enough things about inuries, coming back and coaches to worry about..
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Ken Lobo 8 months ago
I believe it is time for a reality check. Any athlete who participates at the international level is going to be criticized as well as complimented. In Sania's case, it appears that the disproportionate amount of praise compared to her performance has been more harmful to her game than criticism which has been significantly less than for most other athletes.
It is a pity, because when you shower extraordinary amount of praise on someone who has performed mediocre or average, then where is the motivation for that person to improve. It is quite understandable that such unwarranted praise can go to the athlete's head, specially someone who is young and immature, quite easily. I think this is the point from which this whole discussion started.
Sania deserves credit for what she accomplished, but the public and media hype about her was way too much. Instead of encouraging her by saying that her backhand needs improvement, she needs to be more consistent, and her pathetic serve needs attention desperately, she was being hailed as if she had already won a Grand Slam.
Her contemporary players like Chakvetadze, Jankovic and Ivanovic are already in the Top Ten and at least two of the three have achieved the Number 1 ranking in the world. Yet, these players do not get a fraction of the hype that Sania gets from the press and public in India. They dont get invited to receptions by high government officials or by the movie stars. They focus on what they do best, and that is play tennis and improve their game. That is why they are in the Top Ten and Sania is not.
Ken Lobo
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Rohini Iyer 8 months ago
exactly my point.
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