Tennis Prose




Sep/14

8

The Biofile: Sania Mirza Interview

mirza
By Scoop Malinowski

Status: WTA tennis player. Winner of one WTA singles,  and six Grand Slam titles (3 mixed, 3 doubles).

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 รขโ‚ฌโ€ 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 Cara Black. Yeah, four’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, 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.”

More Biofiles like this can be read at www.mrbiofile.com

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3 comments

  • Andrew Miller · September 8, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    I like Mirza – saw her play Miami. Hits the hardest FH I’ve ever seen from the WTA tour. No joke.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 8, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    She’s won 3 major titles now in doubles Andrew. Big time player. She was tough in singles too there for a while too. 3 majors is one heckuva career.

  • Bryan · September 8, 2014 at 10:32 pm

    Funny I was reading about Sania Mirza for the first time last week once it became clear she was doing well at the US Open. She was in mixed and women’s doubles. Didn’t realize she nearly won WTA Stanford.

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