Tennis Prose




Nov/11

29

Biofile with Sania Mirza

Status: WTA tennis player. Winner of one WTA singles, 12 WTA doubles and the 2009 Australian Open mixed doubles title. Her career-high ranking was #27 in 2007. Current WTA ranking is #87. You can wager online betting on professional tennis at click here

Ht: 5-7 Wt: 130 pounds.

DOB: November 15, 1986 in Mumbai, India.

Tennis Inspirations: “Steffi Graf. I guess in the men it was Rafter and then Sampras. It basically kept changing. But right now it’s obviously Federer [smiles].”

Favorite Movie: “Love Actually is one of them.”

Last Book Read: “Oh…I’m not a big reader.”

Musical Tastes: “Nothing I can think of at the moment.”

Early Tennis Memory: “I remember my coach didn’t want to take me in his classes because he thought I was too small. And he claimed the racquet was bigger than me. It was when I was six [smiles]. And I can remember, I can picture the whole conversation my mom was having with him and my mom (Naseema) said to him, ‘What is your problem? Just let her hit the ball.’ And then I remember him calling my dad (Imran) a month later saying that, ‘I’ve never seen a six-year-old hit a ball like this [smiles].’ ”

First Job: “Tennis I guess, yeah.”

First Car: “It was a Suzuki. It’s a small car. (Color?) Red, if I remember correctly.”

Current Car: “BMW 7 series.”

Favorite Meal: “Indian food — Biryani. It’s where I come from.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Strawberry.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, I definitely think there’s been a few. Definitely winning Junior Wimbledon doubles. Every time that I – I think I won 11 or 12 medals from the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Playing the Olympics, I think that’s one of them. Playing Centre Court at Wimbledon, even though I lost 7-5 in the third, to Kuznetsova (2005). I mean I think there’s way too many. Of course beating Kuznetsova in Dubai was one of the biggest highlights in my career. She was the reigning U.S. Open champion that year.”

Most Painful Moment: “I think I could say the same thing, losing 7-5 in the third at Centre Court at Wimbledon. I don’t cry very much but that day I did cry after that match.”

Favorite Tournaments: “Wimbledon is my favorite. Indian Wells. I really like Indian Wells.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “I guess it depends on every match. Its different from when you’re going on for mixed doubles or doubles or singles. The basic thought is to go out there and give 100 percent and not worry about how you play. Because you’re gonna have off days and on days. And sometimes you’re gonna be so strong nobody can touch you. And sometimes you can’t hit a ball inside the court. But as long as you’re trying 100 percent — that’s what I motivate myself to do when I go on.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I remember seeing this board when I was playing in India, some fans had it. And one said, ‘Sania Marry Me.’ And then there were four more that said, ‘And me and me and me [laughs].’ ”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “Fortunately I’ve not had one as of yet. Never been so embarrassed with my game or myself, that I actually remember it [smiles].”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “I liked Malaysia.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “(Caroline) Wozniacki. Bethanie Mattek Sands. (Elena) Vesnina my partner. Yeah, three’s enough [smiles].”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Bethanie Mattek Sands [smiles]. One of the funniest for sure. Petkovic is funny as well. Who else…Rennae Stubbs is pretty funny. A lot of tennis players have a very good sense of humor. I think — although I don’t know Andy (Roddick) personally — I think, just by his interviews, he’s one of the funniest guys on the Tour. I’ve seen and I’ve read a few in the tennis magazines and stuff. And he always comes up with his one-liners [smiles].”
Toughest Competitors: “It’s hard to differentiate. Because if someone’s playing at this level, I think everyone’s gonna compete because this is our profession. And it’s our life. And it’s a means of livelihood. So I think everyone is as fiery as the other [smiles].”

Strangest Match: “There’s been a lot of strange matches [smiles]. Elena Vesnina told me that a monkey came on the court and took Vania King’s banana.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “Well I think Roger Federer for sure. He’s amazing to watch. I think he’s fun to watch and learn, he looks like he’s kind of playing music. He’s like an artist and he kind of just glides around on the court. And does whatever he wants with the ball.”

Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: “Cricket.”

Best You Ever Felt On Court: “That’s a tough question. There’s a lot of times you feel really good on the court, and lots of times you don’t. Sometimes the ball looks as big as if it’s a football. And other times it looks as small as a pebble, so. A couple of years ago I made final of Stanford. I remember that whole week. The first match I was actually down and match point and I came back to win it 7-6 in the third (vs. Akiko Morigami). And then it was weird, the next round I played (Tatiana) Golovin and won four and love. I felt like I couldn’t miss a ball. And then it kept getting better. I played (Sybille) Bammer, Patty Schnyder – she was top ten in the world then. Then in the final I lost to (Anna) Chakvetadze.”

Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “It’s just, I think it’s something I’ve done all my life, to be honest. I love the fact it teaches you how to cope with losses and it teaches you how to cope with victories. Then it always gives you another chance.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty is up there. A really good sense of humor. I have a pretty sarcastic sense of humor, I’m more of a British sense of humor. So I like that kind of of sense of humor. Honesty is definitely up there. I prefer people to be frank and to the point, then beat around the bush.”

Scoop Malinowski’s new book “Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew” is available now at amazon.com.

13 comments

  • Andrew Miller · November 30, 2011 at 12:07 am

    Sania definitely hits one of the biggest forehands on the WTA. It’s one of the hardest hit forehands I have seen. Sania was playing against Kuznetsova and Mauresmo in doubles and she just hit the cover off the ball. This against a team that also hit the cover off the ball – Sania’s ball was hit harder. She didn’t seem to have the control that Kuznetsova had. And if a player makes Kuznetsova look composed and steady, shows you how volatile Sania’s game is!

    I think Sania Mirza and Aravane Rezai hit some of the hardest tennis balls I have ever seen in the WTA, after the Williams sisters, Seles and Graf. I have seen Sania play in person, Aravane only on tv.

  • Thomas Tung · December 1, 2011 at 4:06 am

    I remember everyone was talking about Sania Mirza some years back as the next big thing … especially her forehand, that was figured by the pundits to be the weapon which would propel her to the top. When I see her play, the biggest feeling I get is that she’s a wasted talent … she could have done so much more for Indian tennis, if she could only consistently be in the top 25 or so. As it is, Somdev Devvarman is probably going to have a better and more noteworthy career than Sania. I enjoy watching Somdev out there, he has a great work ethic.

  • Andrew Miller · December 1, 2011 at 4:27 am

    Thomas is likely right. Sania is pretty much the WTA’s Ernest Gulbis at this point. If she makes it to become the WTA’s Verdasco that would be an improvement. If she had the work ethic of Somdev I’m sure she would be. Seems she is quite distracted by the deluge of attention in the subcontinent. Think about it: she’s from a country that’s 3 x the size of the U.S. and the home of 1 out of every 9 people, and that country’s most famous female sports star – without being an actual star in the sport. The jury’s still out on Sania, it remains to be seen if she makes a dent in the sport.

    It might be that Sania’s great gift to tennis is that more players from the subcontinent might pick up a racquet. That said, Armitraj did not seem to have a big impact on junior tennis in India and neither have Leander Paes and Bhupathi. Somdev (UVa product!) was the top collegiate player in the U.S. two years in a row and, at #84, is the top Indian player in the world. Behind him is Yuki Bhambri, who was the top player in the juniors but, at #340 or so at age 19, has neither taken off nor beaten anyone yet of significance on the tour.

    Yuki has time on his side. Somdev is a fun player to watch. But it shows how low Sania has fallen when you can say that Somdev is outshining her on tour (no offense and all credit to Somdev!)

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 1, 2011 at 1:01 pm

    Welcome back Thomas Tung! Mirza had a lot of pressure on her shoulders and the other controversies surrounding her might have been a factor in distracting her. She might not be physically strong enough to be the best, she might be one of those players capable of here and there beating the best or giving them a great battle. I’ve interviewed her a couple of times and she seems a bit delicate to be the alpha female, and that’s not meant in a bad way at all.

  • Tom Michael · December 1, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Sania Mirza has never been fit. Historically, Indian players have not worked hard on the off-court training. Vijay Armitrage seemed fit for his time, but after him, I had to suffer watching Ramesh Krishnan and his overweight for tennis standards self. I will never forget watching a match as a kid way back between Edberg and him at the US Open. They showed the vital stats: Edberg 6’2″ 175 lbs, while Krishnan 5’6″ 160 lbs. Krishnan should have been 145 lbs at the most for that height. The match went 5 sets because Krishnan’s tennis skill set was actually superior. But tennis is first and foremost an athletic contest at the world-class level. And Krishnan had no business winning such a match. Despite me being of East Indian descent, I was not rooting for him as a kid. I understood even then, that the best in the world trained hard on the fitness. I will not even root for a Sania Mirza if she is not working on her fitness enough.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 1, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Tom, Krishnan was just 5’6″? It’s a wonder he was able to compete at the highest level with the size and physicality disadvantage, his skills must have been Rios like. Mirza is in good shape, I’ve never seen her tired on the court, she’s just maybe not strong enough physically to compete with the Kuznetsovas, Sharapovas, Li Nas, Stosurs, etc. on a day in and day out basis. Tennis is grueling for smaller type players like Mirza. Henin was a very rare exception.

  • Tom Michael · December 1, 2011 at 5:08 pm

    Mirza is not in good shape. Aerobic fitness by itself is not enough. She is definitely lacking in strength conditioning. She plays as well as she does because she has great timing on her groundstrokes, and underrated court smarts. Today’s women are in better shape than ever. And anyone can beat anyone. Mirza is not on par with the rest of the tour in fitness today. That is why she rarely makes it out of the 1st round of most majors.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 2, 2011 at 1:45 am

    Tom if Mirza trained like Muster, Agassi and Navratilova, what do you think her ranking would be and her WTA Tour achievements?

  • Tom Michael · December 2, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Mirza if she trained more would be at best at the level of a Flavia Pennetta right now in singles. Pennetta’s playing level is solid. Mirza did win a mixed doubles slam. She made the finals of Roland Garros in doubles in 2011. As a doubles player, she and Pennetta are comparable. But the fitness of Pennetta puts her above Mirza in singles. Pennetta is a round of 16 player in the slams on average. This is very admirable.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Pennetta is also a lot taller and more physically gifted, she is a strong girl. Mirza is a lot less physically gifted and not as strong and as athletic to cover the full court like Pennetta can.

  • Tom Michael · December 2, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Pennetta is also a lot taller and more physically gifted, she is a strong girl. Mirza is a lot less physically gifted and not as strong and as athletic to cover the full court like Pennetta can.
    (THIS STATEMENT IMPLIES THAT MIRZA EVEN WITH HARD WORK CAN NOT GET TO PENNETTA’S LEVEL. ACTUALLY THEY ARE NOT FAR APART. BEFORE PENNETTA STARTED TO TRAIN HARDER AROUND 2009 THE HEAD TO HEAD RECORD WAS 2-2. PENNETTA WITH IMPROVED CONDITIONING IN THE LAST 3 YEARS HAS BEATEN MIRZA SOUNDLY IMPROVING THE HEAD TO HEAD RECORD 4-2. MIRZA AND PENNETTA ARE THE SAME HEIGHTS, AS ACCORDING TO THE WTA WEBSITE. MIRZA EVEN 1/4 INCH TALLER. MIRZA IS MORE GIFTED IN THE TENNIS DEPARTMENT BELIEVE IT OR NOT. SHE HAS RACKET HEAD SPEED ESPECIALLY ON THE FOREHAND THAT PENNETTA AND EVEN WOZNIACKI ONLY DREAM OF OWNING. NEITHER MIRZA OR PENNETTA OWN A LIVE ENOUGH ARM ON THE SERVE. MIRZA HAS SUPERIOR COURT SMARTS, AND ANTICIPATES BETTER THAN PENNETTA. I DO NOT THINK MIRZA HAS PUSHED HERSELF TO TRAIN OFF THE COURT TO GET HERSELF IN MAXIMAL POTENTIAL SHAPE TO COMPETE WITH THE TOUR. CLIJSTERS SAID WHEN SHE CAME BACK TO THE TOUR, THAT SHE MARVELED AT THE IMPROVEMENTS PENNETTA MADE IN HER GAME. MOST OF THE TIME, THE IMPROVEMENTS THESE PLAYERS MAKE ARE A RESULT OF IMPROVED CONDITIONING, AND THAT IS WHAT PENNETTA HAS DONE. MIRZA HAS SIMILAR POTENTIAL IF SHE DESIRES TO PUSH HERSELF, AND HATES HER PRESENT STATE OF PLAY. SOMETHING CLICKED IN PENNETTA YEARS BACK, AND SHE HAS ROAD THAT INSPIRATION TO MULTIPLE FED CUPS, YEAR-END CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DOUBLES, AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN WOMEN’S DOUBLES, AND 3 SMALL SINGLES TITLES–9 IN TOTAL. ALL PLAYERS SHOULD STRIVE TO IMPROVE THEIR GAMES THE WAY PENNETTA DID. SHE IS A MODEL FOR EVERYONE ON THE TOUR, AND HOPEFULLY IN 5-10 YEARS, THE WHOLE WTA TOUR TOP 100 WILL FEATURE WOMEN OF PENNETTA’S ATHLETIC CONDITION AND SOLID SKILLS–FOOTWORK, CONSISTENT SERVES AND GROUNDSTROKES, SOLID VOLLEYS, AND GREAT COUNTER-PUNCHING STRATEGY. BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE LIVE ARM ON THE SERVE OR RACKET HEAD SPEED ON THE FOREHAND, SHE DOES NOT HIT ENOUGH ACES OR WINNERS IN THE COURSE OF A MATCH. MIRZA HITS MORE WINNERS THAN PENNETTA BUT ALSO MORE ERRORS BECAUSE SHE IS NOT IN SHAPE ENOUGH TO KEEP THE BALL IN PLAY FOR LONG. WHAT SEPARATES THE TOP WOMEN FROM PENNETTA IS THAT THEY CAN HIT THE WINNERS THAT PENNETTA CAN’T AND ARE CONSISTENT. MIRZA CAN HIT THE WINNERS THAT THE TOP WOMEN CAN BUT SHE IS NOT CONSISTENT THANKS TO POOR STRENGTH CONDITIONING WHICH IS POSSIBLE TO ATTAIN WITH TIME SPENT IN THE GYM AND PROPER NUTRITION)

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 3, 2011 at 1:46 am

    Tom it’s not like Mirza is THAT out of shape, I think you are exaggerating her fitness, how would you know what her fitness regimen is anyway? She”s probably in good/average fitness but I doubt any of the WTA top 100 are in poor fitness. The Tour is just too tough enough as it is if you’re in TOP condition. I’ve seen Mirza practice in Miami and she was working hard and serious to my recollection. It’s not like she was loafing along like Derrick “Whoop de damn doo” Coleman.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 3, 2011 at 1:46 am

    Pennetta is ranked No. 20 and Mirza is No. 87. Where’s the comparison. Mirza is 25. She hasn’t been a top player for a while. She lost to Alexa Glatch this year 2 and 4. I don’t care if Mirza got as fit as Jack Lalanne, without even seeing her play, there’s more to her descent than just not being fit. More important than being fit is being mentally strong. I mean how fit is Bartoli? And she’s ranked No. 9.

<<

>>

Find it!

Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
To top