Sa nia yet so far

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsIf you sat up late Wednesday night this week and watched Sania Mirza's first round match vs. Elena Dementieva you would feel pretty much like I did, hopeful and excited. After all these days of rootless rooting for soccer teams of varying hues, here was a chance to cheer where we counted.

In forty minutes flat my emotions were lobbed, smashed and tossed around pretty much like those tennis balls the players were going after. From hopeful and excited to frustrated and cynical didn't take too long. First set. Sania Mirza no. 38 in the world was leading 4 - 1. Even the cameras seemed to know she was the woman to watch. Big close ups of dangly earrings, jaunty hair knot, expressive reactions to line calls and some aggressive shots dominated screen time.

The twenty year old who had put Indian women on the world tennis map was putting Russian Elena Dementieva on the mat.
At least that's what it looked like. But suddenly set one was in to a tiebreak. And then it started unraveling. Dementieva wrapped up the match 7-6, 7-5.

The statistics say quite clearly that the world No. 7 had to fight hard to go through to the next round. And unlike on the men's, on the women's circuit the gap between the top ten and the rest is a chasm.

Leander Paes who I met on a show a couple of months ago had this to say: "The best thing that Sania is done is that she is a great spokesperson for Indian women. I believe that she has proven that Indian women can excel in any field on international waters too and that is the reason that I do respect her. As far as her tennis abilities go, I find that she is at that crossroad of her career right now where her career is to be made. Right now, she is ranked in the 30s or the 40s of the WTA circuit. To get into the top 20, which is where I believe the real cream of the WTA circuit is, is going to take a great push. I find that Sania has had quite a few injuries recently, which is a bit of a concern. If I had to advice her, I would say that she needs to concentrate on her physical ability and her training methods to prevent injuries rather than to cure them. On saying that I think that her marketing skills have been excellent, the sponsorships that she has been able to get have been fantastic. "

So is this as good as it gets for Sania? Will she break in to the top ten in the WTA and win key tournaments and that holy grail, a grand slam? Like other couch potatoes am I unfairly pinning my sense of self worth and ambition on her shoulders without a modicum of understanding of how tough it is to get from court number 13 to Centre Court?

The advertisors, Sprite these days has a very dolled up Sania drinking Sprite with attitude, are not waiting to find out. For them so far so good.

The Muslim girl mentioned by George Bush in his first speech in India. Sania may not be the greatest tennis player in the world but she's already an Indian youth icon. Someone, who will definitely inspire younger generations.

I rather wish she was the best tennis player in the world. first published:June 30, 2006, 11:16 ISTlast updated:June 30, 2006, 11:16 IST
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