Sania Mirza

Snaps of Sania

2005-11-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Sania Mirza eyeing top 15 spot

2005-10-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Having gone beyond her stated goal of breaking into top-50 in world rankings in her debut season, teen tennis sensation Sania Mirza is now eyeing a spot among the top 15.

"Yes, I am trying to break into top-15. I think I can reach the top-10 but in what time span I can't say," said Sania, who was in the Pink City for the shooting of an ad.

The player, who was accompanied by her mother Naseema, was also candid about the grey areas of her game. "Yes, I find some grey areas in my game especially my service and endurance need improvement," she said.

When asked about her preparations for the Australian Open, she said her father had roped in Australian coach Tony Roche to work upon her service and now she was in hunt for a trainer who could help improve her endurance.
"I realise I have to improve upon my fitness to excel at the top level," said Sania while clarifying that her strained back which forced her out of Thailand Open in second round, was not a serious matter.

Sania was later honoured at Jaipur Club.

Roche to train Sania Mirza

2005-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

High-profile tennis coach Tony Roche, associated with the likes of world number one Roger Federer, will train Sania Mirza in her build-up to the Australian Open early next year.
The Australian great would work on specific areas of weaknesses in Sania's game, particularly her serve, as the 18-year-old Hyderabadi starts the new season from an event which catapulted her to the big league.
It was at the Australian Open last year Sania shot into limelight, becoming the first Indian woman ever to reach the third round of any Grand Slam.
Sania will start training in late December after a short winter break. She will train with Roche for three weeks in Sydney, Sania's father Imran Mirza said.
He said it was only after former Indian Davis Cupper Jaideep Mukherjea put in a word that Roche agreed to take up the assignment.

British magazine says Sania Mirza can change the world

2005-10-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

The usually staid British media has gone overboard with praise for Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza with a leading intellectual magazine listing her as one of the 10 people capable of changing the world.When Sania made waves at Wimbledon this year, tennis writers waxed lyrical about her poise and skills on and off the court.

Now 'New Statesman', the high priest of British left-of-centre politics - some call it the symbol of intellectual fundamentalism - has declared that Sania has the promise to 'change the world'.In an almost breathless 750-word piece on Sania, writer Jason Cowley recounts her recent tiff with Muslim clerics over her dress code on the court, but moves on to describe the effect she has on India's young men and women - especially women."Mirza has the discipline, the tenacity, the flamboyance and, above all, the talent to go much higher in the rankings and, in so doing, inspire a whole new generation of Indian girls to express their hopes and ambitions through sport."At home, in India, Mirza is a role model and an icon, her fame locating her somewhere between Bollywood and the mass adulation that surrounds the Indian cricket team", Cowley wrote.

The piece recalled that at Wimbledon, she wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan: "Well-behaved women rarely make history"; at the US Open in September, where she lost in the quarter-final to the Russian sensation Maria Sharapova, her T-shirt read: "You can either agree with me, or be wrong".Recalling the threats from a Muslim cleric of the Sunni Ulema Board, Cowley wrote: "The cleric is correct in identifying the world-transforming potential of a young, attractive, articulate and media-smart teenage Muslim tennis star, but wrong in his assessment of that influence. "He understands how sport has become a common language for the global tribe, as well as an engine of change, an aggressive symbol of meritocracy and the mirror in which we see reflected back at us the competitive, style-driven, money- and celebrity-fixated world in which we live. "Tennis is one of the few sports in which women enjoy parity with men; female tennis players are among the wealthiest and most celebrated of all sports personalities.

"Can Mirza have a similarly transformative effect, not only in India but also throughout the world? He enthuses, "She may not have won a major tournament, yet already she occupies a role through which flow many of the most significant intellectual and cultural currents of our times: the clash between secularism and political Islam, the emancipation of women in the Muslim world, the dominance of celebrity, the tyranny of the image, the emergence of India as a world power".Cowley concludes by writing: "If she continues to improve as rapidly as she has over the past six months, Sania Mirza will simply have to get used to such obsessive scrutiny. There is no turning back now."

Sania Mirza

2005-10-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to believe that a slender, 18-year-old Muslim tennis player from India has the potential to change the world, but it is equally difficult to overestimate the effect Sania Mirza is having on millions of young men and women, and especially women, in the world's second most populous country. She is the first female Indian tennis player to be ranked in the world's top 40; indeed, she is the first significant female athlete of any kind, in a country where women have been typically discouraged from taking up sport. Mirza has the discipline, the tenacity, the flamboyance and, above all, the talent to go much higher in the rankings and, in so doing, inspire a whole new generation of Indian girls to express their hopes and ambitions through sport.

At home, in India, Mirza is a role model and an icon, her fame locating her somewhere between Bollywood and the mass adulation that surrounds the Indian cricket team. She is celebrated as much for her attitude and fashion sense (she wears a nose-ring and "librarian" glasses) as she is for her talent. She evidently enjoys the attention and delights in confounding expectations of exactly how a young Muslim woman from the subcontinent should behave. At Wimbledon, she wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan: "Well-behaved women rarely make history"; at the US Open in September, where she lost in the quarter-final to the Russian sensation Maria Sharapova, her T-shirt read: "You can either agree with me, or be wrong".

All this means that Mirza is in ceaseless demand - for interviews, billboard advertising, endorsements (her fee is reported to be second only to the great batsman Sachin Tendulkar's) and television appearances. But already she is becoming something of a prisoner of her own celebrity in a rapidly modernising country of more than a billion people. She can no longer even leave the Hyderabad home she shares with her parents without the obligatory bodyguards.

Sania pulls out of Thailand Open

2005-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

India's Sania Mirza pulled out of the second round of the Thailand Open today with a back problem.

The world number 31, who was playing world number 186 Meng Yuan of China, had lost the first set 5-7.

The extent of the injury is not known as yet, but clearly the pain was too much for her to continue.

Sania has also pulled out of the doubles where she and Israel's Sahar Peer were to play the second round match today.

Earlier, Sania had written in a newspaper column that this event in Bangkok would probably be her last tournament this year.

Sania Mirza jumps to 31 in WTA rankings

2005-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza has jumped six places to climb to a career-best 31 in the latest WTA rankings after her semi-final appearance at the Japan Open last week.

Sania, who picked 311 points last week in the USD 170,000 Japan Open, has a total of 966.50 WTA points to her credit.

The 18-year-old had vanquished higher ranked opponents including top seed Vera Zvonareva in the Tier III Championship but ran out of steam in the semifinals, losing to France's Tatiana Golovin 2-6, 4-6.

Sania in semis, upsets top seed - Japan Open

2005-10-07T02:31:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza stormed into the semi-final of the USD 170,000 AIG Japan Open tennis championship today after upsetting the top seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia in a three-setter.
Sania, seeded eight, fought her way back after losing the first set 5-7 against the 22-ranked Russian to wrap up the next two 6-2 6-4.
She will now meet the winner of the quarter final contest between third seed Tatiana Golovin of France and Japan's Ai Sugiyama, seeded fifth.
Sania Mirza had yesterday defeated Aiko Nakamura 6-1 6-4 in the second round while Zvonareva beat Shahar Peer of France 6-3 7-5 to make it to the last eight.

“First” on her sleeve

2005-10-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza, 18 year old, tennis star from Hyderabad, has many “first” on her sleeve:

first ever Indian to break into the top-50 WTA rankings. ( career best WTA rank 34)
first Indian to reach the third round of Australian Open and thepre- quarters of the US Open.
became the youngest-ever Indian, male or female, to win a Tour event and the first woman from India to capture a WTA Tour title in the Hyderabad Open trophy in February 2005, defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine.
First Indian woman tennis player to get an ARJUNA award in 2005, for the year 2004.

Another ace: Sania Mirza features on Time cover

2005-10-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

In another ace for teenage tennis icon, Sania Mirza, she became the first Indian sportswoman to feature on the cover of Time magazine and is being included in its 2005 list of Asia's heroes.
In the list of heroes, Sania shares the space with Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, South Korean footballer Park Ji Sung and Japan's Ken Watanbe.
The tennis star, who has been described by the magazine as a role model for women in the country and the fastest rising star in the sport this year, features on the cover of the special issue of the magazine, which would hit the stands on Monday.

Sania Mirza lends support to kids with heart disease

2005-09-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

“Sach” (Save a child’s heart), a foundation started by leading Apollo Hospital invited Mirza to raise funds for extending medical diseases.
The tennis star launched a band costing 25 rupees (almost half a dollar), signed and autographed by her. The band will be available in the several branches of the hospital all over the country.
Doctors at the hospital felt that Mirza will add star-value to the campaign and spread the message across the country.

Sania Mirza is brand ambassador for Hyundai Getz

2005-09-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

Looks like cricket and cricketers is on the last option list for the companies looking for new faces to endorse their products.
Hyundai has picked the latest teen sensation of India, Sania Mirza to promote their Hyundai Getz vehicle. Korean giant Hyundai’s Indian arm has signed the tennis star to fire up the sales of its latest car Getz that is facing competition from Maruti’s Suzuki Swift.
Sania would be representing the company and the car for a period of 3 years in a deal, which is said to be worth around Rs. 1.5 Crores

SAAP's role in Sania Mirza's success

2005-09-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Much before the career managers and big sponsorship deals came along, Sania Mirza's march to glory was well on its way. From 2001 to date, the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh's (SAAP) financial support alone has come close to a crore — Rs. 99.25 lakhs to be precise.
The latest instalment of SAAP assistance was a Rs. 20 lakh grant, on her return from the U.S. Open, released by its vice-chairman and managing director, G. Kamal Vardhana Rao. "Sania has effected a paradigm shift in sports perspective and I'm confident SAAP's support will take her to greater heights," Rao said.

Sania Mirza down to 37th after Sunfeast Open

2005-09-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza came down from her career-high 34th position to 37th in the latest WTA rankings released on Monday, Sept 26,2005. This is due to her poor performance in singles, where she disappointed everybody by losing to Melinda Czink in the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata, in second round itself.

Sunfeast Update on Sania

2005-09-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza and her top ranked partner Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain stormed into the semifinal of the $170,000 WTA Sunfeast Open tennis tournament here today.The fourth seeded Indo-Spanish duo made short work of unseeded pair of Sunitha Rao (USA) and Villmarie Castellvi (Puerto Rico) 6-1, 6-3 before a handful of spectators at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Sweden needs a Sania: Wilander

Sweden's former Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander paid tribute to the Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza saying that his country also needs a player like her to get more women interested in the game.

"I have seen her in action at Wimbledon. She is aleady a good player on the tennis circuit and has potential to do even better. The more she works on her tennis the better it would be for her. She is playing amazing tennis."

Now, a chapter on Sania

A chapter on Sania will be taught in Chhattisgarh’s 285 state-owned madrassas, or seminaries, if a proposal by the state’s madrassa board is accepted. “We plan to introduce a chapter dedicated to Sania in the 285 madrassas of Chhattisgarh, where over 17,000 kids are enrolled for education in Classes 1 to 8,” board chairman Adil Hamid Khan said.

Sania magic bowls Manmohan over

2005-09-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that he was happy with the progress of tennis in the country, especially with the "storm" that Sania Mirza was creating.
"I am delighted that in recent years interest in tennis has increased among the youth of our country," Singh said after drawing lots for the Davis Cup world group play-off tie that begins in the capital on Friday.
He was particularly impressed with the storm unleashed by Sania, the world's 34th ranked player.
"I am sure the lovers of tennis are thrilled by the storm that the young lady Sania Mirza is creating all over the country," he said.
"She is inspiring young girls to take to sport and to fight for their due place in the brave new world they must all enter."

Sania Mirza loses in singles

2005-09-22T03:21:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza, India’s favorite and third seed, lost to Hungary’s Melinda Czink in the second round of the Sunfeast Open on September 21, at Netaji indoor stadium, Kolkata. Winning the first set in 6-0, Sania made crowd frenzy, but succumbed to the powerful forehand of Czink, in the next two sets and the 121-ranked Czink entered the quarterfinal defeating Sania 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Following the disappointing loss, Mirza said, “It was just one of those days. I started really well but she improved a lot in the second set. I managed to fight back well in the third set from 4-1, and the crowd really lifted me, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Some days you win these matches, some days you lose them. (Winning here) obviously wasn’t meant to happen this year. Hopefully I can come back next year and do better.”

Updates on the 1st Day of SunFeast Open 2005

2005-09-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Sania shouldn't give up her aggression: Coach

Sania Mirza's coach John Farrington on Tuesday averred that time management was the key to the 18-year old's success at the top level of tennis and that he did not want the Hyderabadi girl to cut down on her aggression.
"I don't want her to lose her aggression. We plan to work on this aspect of her game to tighten some loose ends, but I would like her to be aggressive," Farrington said.
The Bahamas-born coach said that he agreed with Mahesh Bhupathi's observation that Sania should go to the net more often. "I think she should attack the net more. This gives her an advantage as she goes towards the net and sends deep returns which puts her opponents on the defensive."
Mirza, sail into second round of Sunfeast Open tennis tournament
Third-seeded Sania Mirza of India advanced to the second round of the Sunfeast Open with easy victories Tuesday.
Mirza defeated Junri Namigata of Japan 6-2, 6-2
Short-skirt Sania finds support - Muslim leaders say they are ‘proud’ of 18-year-old
Muslim leaders today came out in support of the teen sensation from Hyderabad.
“We are proud of what Sania Mirza has achieved in her career so far. She has brought recognition to the country, especially in women’s tennis, which was neglected so far. Not a single reputed religious leader anywhere in the country has issued any fatwa against her.
“Islamic laws state that women should be properly dressed, but not a single progressive leader (has) ever thought of issuing any fatwa against her for turning up in skirts or shorts in court,” Maulana Syed Nizamuddin, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board general secretary,

Security v popularity

The unprecedented security cover for Sania Mirza has led to rather uncomfortable scenes at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, with spectators and the media being inconvenienced.
While, it can be understood that her security is of top-most priority, what defied logic was one of the publicity events held at the venue today.
The organisers had arranged for Sania to stand in one of the co-sponsors stalls at the venue, and she was to satisfy autograph hunters. A huge queue soon formed, some of it a bit unruly, and Sania patiently started to put her signature on. It’s true she was still surrounded by security, but naturally such close proximity to any crowd cannot rule out an untoward incident, specially when such a hue-and-cry was being made about keeping her “safe”.
Moreover, this event started at 4.30 pm and had not a heavy downpour started, would have gone on for some time. Sania had a match to play at 7 pm.

Sania craze leaves other women players high and dry

Sania Mirza may have attracted both the moolah and the media through her on-court exploits, but the hype surrounding the teenager has left other women players of the country feeling let down due to neglect and lack of corporate support. While appreciative of Sania's fast climb up the ranking ladder, Ankita Bhambri let her frustration known in an interaction with the media. "Sania has done very well for herself and made India proud. But there are others who are also trying," said the 19-year-old Ankita, who has crossed swords with Sania on a number of occasions in

Sania Mirza Second Most Sought After Search Query On Google And Yahoo

2005-09-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza, the tennis icon from India, is the second most-sought after search query from India on Google and Yahoo.
In Google Zeitgeist country wise ranking, Sania is the second most sought after query made from India during the recent US Open tournament. Sania even grabbed the ninth position in the ‘Top 15 Gaining Queries’ across countries as Googlers hit the Net to find more about the new rising face of tennis.
On Yahoo’s similar rating meter, called Yahoo Buzz, which provides comprehensive section wise ratings from its global search data, Sania crashed into the ‘Top 20 Sports Leaders’ category at rank 17 on September, just below David Beckham, gaining 31 ranks. She has been in the prestigious sports ‘Leaders’ ranking list for the sixth consecutive day along with basket ball legend Michael Jordan at the 10th position.

Sania holds on to 34th spot

2005-09-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza held on to her 34th spot in the latest WTA rankings despite suffering a first round loss at the tour event in Bali.

The teenage tennis sensation failed to add to the 888.75 WTA points she had compiled till last week after her run to the last 16 of the US Open where she lost to Russia's Maria Sharapova. She is the first Indian to advance so far in a Grand Slam event.

The 18-year-old Hyderabadi, who opens her campaign at the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata tomorrow, is the third ranked Asian after Japan's Ai Sugiyama and Shuai Peng of China who hold the 32nd and 33rd spots respectively. Sania is seeded third in the Tier III WTA event.

She dropped down a place in the doubles rankings to 149th but has a chance to climb up the ladder when she teams up with the top ranked doubles player in the world , Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain, at the Sunfeast Open.

Shikha Uberoi has the next best singles ranking among Indians at 152, a drop of one spot. Rushmi Chakravarthi gained four places to reach 444 while Sanaa Bhambri held on to the 484th rank.

Sania Mirza eyes second WTA title

2005-09-19T02:03:00.000-07:00

Idian tennis sensation Sania Mirza is hopeful her new-found confidence after a good showing in the U.S. Open can help her claim a second career WTA victory at the $170,000 Sunfeast Open next week.

"It was great to play the fourth round of the U.S Open. I'm feeling very good and I'm confident about my game," she said on Saturday. "The confidence goes up and you know you can match the best in the business."

The 18-year-old player, whose sensational run this year has lifted her to 34 in the world rankings, eventually lost to Russian Maria Sharapova at the U.S. Open.

Mirza faced a packed news conference at the indoor event in the eastern city of Kolkata, formerly Calcutta. She has proved a huge draw with as many as 300 media accreditations issued.

Millions of fans are hopeful Mirza can emulate her success the last time she played at home, when she claimed her maiden WTA title at her hometown Hyderabad in February.

Mirza has not looked back since becoming the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam at the Australian Open in January.

"A lot has happened in a short period of time," she said. "No one expected this, but thank God.

"I knew it was going to happen, only it was a question of when. I'm thankful it happened sooner than later."

Mirza is seeded third behind Russia's 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and her compatriot Elena Likhovtseva, both ranked among the top 20.

"Just because I won in Hyderbad doesn't mean I'm going to win here," she said. "This is a tougher tournament.

"I think people should start facing reality, they should start accepting the fact I'm going to lose matches."

An attacking player with a fierce forehand, she has struggled for consistency and both her serve and mobility have been affected by a stomach muscle injury and a troublesome ankle.

However, Mirza said she will not change here style.

"That is the way I play. I'm just going to go for broke," she said. "I'm going to have a lot of unforced errors, but I compensate that with winners."

Security has been tightened at the event after an Islamic group opposed to Mirza's on-court dress threatened to prevent her from playing.

Unfair towards Sania

2005-09-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Some awfully tough, and I think unfair, comments from Matthew Cronin at tennisreporters.net today about Sania Mirza:
"I like Sania Mirza quite a bit, even though she's a bit too arrogant for her Top 40-ranking. But the 19-year-old has to know that as a Muslim from Hindu-led India, she's going to be dealing with religious issues for the rest of her life, including her fashion choices. She's a national hero in short skirts, and the Islamic fundamentalists do not want her to exert any real influence on other young women who might get "heretical" ideas about dressing the way they want to.

To her credit, Sania has stuck up for the positive principles of her religion. But, the fact is, there are numerous negative ones, such as the existence of extremists who have declared a "fatwa" on her. That's when it's either time to stand up and say that your religious opponents are wrong and don't represent the thinking of many young Muslims, or you leave that religion. You cannot exists in the middle in these disputes, nor can you ignore them by saying "I'm an athlete and I don't want to discuss politics." Politics exist in every part of life, like it or not."

Sania's endorsement rules - six products in 30 days

2005-09-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

India's rising tennis star Sania Mirza will not do any commercials that portray her as a "glamorous object" and endorse only six products at a time, for which 30 days in a year have been earmarked.

Mahesh Bhupathi, who owns globosport, the company that manages Sania, has himself decided on the ceiling for the world's 34th ranked player.

"If we wanted, Sania could do 10 endorsements like the cricketers. She could be doing 75 days of endorsements work like the cricketers," said globosport vice-president Anirban Das Blah.

Sania, who became the first Indian woman to enter the fourth round of the US Open recently, is currently endorsing five products.

"Everyone knows that we are going to announce a (new) deal in the next two-three weeks. Once that is done, we will have to drop old endorsements for her to sign on more endorsements," said Blah.

"We have always said we will do maybe six at a time, not more," he emphasised.

Blah said that Sania, who plays in the WTA Sunfeast Open at Kolkata starting on Monday, would not appear in commercials as a glamorous object.

"We are not going to work with brands that interfere with her tennis, those who (want to) treat her as a glamorous object rather than a tennis player, that make demands on her time at the cost of her tennis, especially at this stage."

He said that his company would not immediately try to cash in on Sania's soaring popularity.

"Sania is not going to be a cricketer -- this is tennis. If you are a top tennis player you earn so much prize money that you don't have to worry so much about endorsements."

"(Suppose) Sachin Tendulkar is earning Rs. 1 crore (Rs.10 million) from the BCCI and Rs.30 crores (Rs.300 million) from endorsements, so obviously, his primary business is endorsements. That's not true of tennis."

Blah disclosed that the company's main focus as of now would be Sania's tennis.

"We are going to focus on tennis. Yes, today maybe because she is doing a few endorsements, her value has skyrocketed. I know the prices that I am being offered today in the marketplace are as high or higher than what (Rahul) Dravid gets offered," he said.

The company signed Sania just before she won the junior Wimbledon doubles along with Alisa Klyebanova of Russia in July 2003.

"Back then we didn't view we would make any money. We committed to support her up to Rs. 40 lakhs (Rs. 4 million) a year. It was to be adjusted against the funds that came in from GVK Industries (Sania's current sponsor) or whatever."

Anirban said that Sania had such potential that globosport had to help her fulfil it. "Mahesh was really clear about that. Fundamentally, that cannot change for us as a company. We make enough money as an organisation with our Bollywood business, with all other endorsements, in-field placements, event management."

From Kolkata Newsline: Women commandos to protect Sania

2005-09-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA’s wallscape has started changing fast. With India’s latest tennis sensation Sania Mirza’s “scantily” dressed posters occupying more and more space and Muslim fundamentalists issuing threats, Kolkata Police is gearing up for the Sunfeast Open Women’s Tennis Tournament which starts at Netaji Indoor Stadium on September 19, the first major event in the city where Sania will appear since acquiring stardom.

The police will deploy women commandos to steer the participants, especially Sania, out of harm’s way during the “big event”...

Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, secretary of the West Bengal unit of the Jamat-e-Ulema Hind, said, “Islam never allows women to wear skirts, shorts and sleeveless tops. But this girl is violating all these norms. No doubt, she has brought a bad name to the religion, which never permits women to dress scantily. I think she should not be allowed to enter the city.”

--- Sania needs to handle the situation with steady Mind. Maulanas need to understand that in tennis you can't wear long skirts. Siddiqullah get some counseling.

"More than to play I'd love to come here for a holiday" - Sania

2005-09-15T03:57:00.000-07:00

After making an early exit from the tennis tournament in Bali with a straight set first round defeat, Sania Mirza said she would prefer holidaying in the Indonesian island rather than playing there.

“Actually, more than to play I'd love to come here for a holiday. It’s not one of the best places to play tennis here. You don't feel like doing anything. But it's a lovely atmosphere and I'd love to come back next year,” Sania was quoted as saying in the tournament's officials website.

--You deserve a break after the kind of performance in US open 2005.

More Info on Mirza

2005-09-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Date of Birth:15 Nov 1986
Birth Place:Mumbai
Nationality:India
Height:1.67 m
Weight: 54 kgs
Profession:Tennis player
Education:Nasr School
Family
* Father: Imran Mirza
* Mother: Nasima
* Sister: Anam
Started playing at the age of 6
Plays Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)
Coach:Krishna Bhupathi
Physiotherapist:Mr Badrinath
First ITF junior event abroad:Lahore , Pakistan
Has visited 35 countries
Favourite tennis player:Steffi Graf
Education:10th standard (SSC) in the first division with 63 per cent marks.
Likes to stay at home, just watch a movie and surf the Net.
Dislikes:Apple and bananas
Personal Favourites
* Food: briyani
* Actor: Akshay Kumar
* Actress: Raveena Tandon
* Songs: rap and Hindi
* Dress: Salwars, Jeans
* Colours: black,red and blue
Would like to see the movie:Black
Prefers: Advantage India to advantage Sania
Strengths:Ground strokes
Needs to improve:Her fitness
Tennis accessories
* Racquet: Head
* Clothing: adidas
* Shoes: adidas
Sponsoring Companies:GVK group and Adidas who picked her when she was only 12.
Current Endorsement deals:GVK Industries, Sahara, Atlas Cycles, Tata Tea and Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh

Daily Routine:Three hours of physical fitness training, in a day which includes all kinds of training, gym 3-4 times a week, some speed work, endurance and agility.

As a junior:The US Open 2003 is her last Grand Slam as a junior after which she will be playing in the seniors.
Her grandfather:Muhammad Zafar Mirza, played university-level cricket. He also played club cricket for Middlesex in England. But his first love was hockey.
Facts
The first woman from India to capture a WTA Tour title, when she paired with Lizel Huber of South Africa to win the Hyderabad Open doubles title.
Became the first-ever Indian girl to have won a Grand Slam title when she triumphed in the girls' doubles event at Wimbledon partnering Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.
Her dad Imran Mirza and mom Nasima were watching a Steffi Graf and Conchita Martinez battle, when they decided to make their daughter a Tennis star.
Annually Sania requires 40 lakhs for her expenses and Andhra Pradesh government is trying their level best to see that the lady scales height.

Plans after Tennis:Interior Decoration or start a tennis academy
Credits her success:Parents, coaches and God..
Mental strength:Prays five times a day and says that is as good as meditation.
Security:Two armed police guards will shadow Sania wherever she goes in the state.
About her
Her coach: " Sania has the right material to reach the very top"
Leander Paes:"I personally feel that she is one of the frontrunners of Indian sports"
Mahesh Bhupathi:"She's on a roll and it's obviously not going to last forever. But she deserves it all."

Dream man:"I think he needs to understand me and he needs to be a nice person and not have any ego hassles. I need a guy who understands me."
Aim:To be a top 50 tennis woman professional player and stay there for 3-4 years
Quote: "Do not worry about winning or losing. Work hard and you will be successful."

After Sania who is next in India

2005-09-15T02:16:00.000-07:00

US-based Shikha Uberoi is the next Indian, after Sania, in the singles ranking. Shikha, who made her Fed Cup debut for India this year fell from her previous ranking of 122 to 151.

---- I hope that more Sania Mirzas start playing and performing in the tennis circuit.

Sania Mirza and Koneru Humpy-achievers yet poles apart

2005-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Like Sania Mirza, Koneru Humpy is a ‘first’ for an Indian woman. Born on March 31, 1987, she is a chess grandmaster. Her April 2004 FIDE ELO rating is 2513, placing her as No. 3 in the world for women. Humpy was originally named Hampi by her parents but her father later changed it to Humpy, a more Russian sounding name. Koneru Humpy has setup a new World Record of becoming the Youngest-Ever Woman to achieve the Men’s GM Title. Humpy has achieved the Men’s GM Title at the age of 15 years , 1 month, and 27 Days beating Judith Polgar's record of 15 years, 4 months and 27 days.

Fellow-Hyderabadi Sania Mirza is only a year older. Since her debut at the US Open, in which she made it to Round 4, before losing to top-seed Maria Sharapova, Sania is ranked No.42 in the WTA rankings. Sania is an icon in India, is grabbing endorsements left, right and centre and has suddenly become the poster-girl of international sports. Where does that leave Koneru Humpy? Literally-nowhere. She’s had her moments on national TV and a page or two in national news magazines, but then its zippo. Nada.

There is a not-so-subtle difference between the two, you see. Sania is the streaked, midriff-baring , PYT with loads of attitude, huge earrings and a nosepin to match. Humpy Koneru, in contrast, is the bespectacled, shy, youngster-certainly not one who looks like she can keep pace with Gen X. Is it not enough to be an achiever anymore? Has the age of superficial behaviour reached such mammoth levels that achievers must also be spin-doctored to look and act a certain way? What if Sania resembled Humpy and didn’t attend post-match media interactions in T-shirts which say ‘I am cute? No s***.?

We have heard how Sania’s favourite colours are red and black, how she likes Ocean’s 11 and Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant. Likes listening to hip hop including Eminem, ... also likes playing cricket and swimming ... most admires Gandhi ... also admires tennis play of Steffi Graf.

And we want to hear more. The country and several parts of the world are in the grip of a Sania Mania and no one is denying it, or wanting to anyway. Research and researchers tell us that in society, attractive people tend to be more intelligent, better adjusted, and more popular. This is described as the halo effect - due to the perfection associated with angels. Research shows attractive people also have more occupational success and more dating experience than their unattractive counterparts. One theory behind this halo effect is that it is accurate -attractive people are indeed more successful.

According to an article by Charles Feng of Stanford University, ‘Looking Good: The Psychology and Biology of Beauty’, research shows attractive people have more occupational success and more dating experience than their unattractive counterparts. An alternative explanation for attractive people achieving more in life is that we automatically categorize others before having an opportunity to evaluate their personalities, based on cultural stereotypes which say attractive people must be intrinsically good, and ugly people must be inherently bad.

But Elliot Aronson, a social psychologist at Stanford University, believes self-fulfilling prophecies in which a person’s confident self-perception, further perpetuated by healthy feedback from others - may play a role in success as well. Aronson suggests, based on the self-fulfilling prophecy that people who feel they are attractive - though not necessarily rated as such - are just as successful as their counterparts who are judged to be good-looking.

Feng writes that whatever the reason, the notion that attractiveness correlates with success still rings true. Yet beauty is not always advantageous, for beautiful people, particularly attractive women, tend to be perceived as more materialistic, snobbish, and vain.

Haven’t we started hearing rumblings of the endorsements bagged by Sania and cynics wondering if this would just mean that Sania is headed the way of the famous men-in-blue. For better or worse, the bottom line is that research shows beauty matters; it pervades society and affects how we choose loved ones. The poignant part would be if beauty takes away from achievement and becomes the new benchmark for choosing icons.

Bad Day for Sania

2005-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia followed up her magnificent performance at the US Open by ousting eight-seeded Sania Mirza of India 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the $225 000 (about R1,4-million) WTA Wismilak International tennis tournament on Tuesday.

The Russian outpaced her opponent in the fiercely-contested rallies to earn an unlikely victory. Although her ranking was boosted by a victory in New York over ailing compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova, Bychkova had previously made virtually no impact at any level in her two years on the tennis circuit.

However, rising star Mirza failed to find any consistency, and Bychkova was happy to take advantage of a below-par opponent.

Bychkova made history when she ousted defending champion Kuznetsova in the opening match of the US Open.

"I wasn't really in it from the beginning," said Mirza. "She played a good match. I think I was really rusty. I was just not in my rhythm."

--- I had expected Sania to win, as would any Indian, but i think that i am asking too mush. Hope that sania keeps her good form for the Calcutta matches, as always indians will want her to WIN. Best Wishes Sania

Why is Ritwik not as big as Sania?

2005-09-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

India's Ritwik Bhattacharya (right) in action against Egypt's Sherif Kamel in the Chennai Open squash tournament

Sania Mirza might be world number 34 in tennis but here's our very own Bengali lad, 25-year-old Ritwik Bhattacharya who is world number 62 in a similar game and that's squash. Despite his achievements, it’s Sania who's hogged the limelight and Ritwik is only revered by sports freaks.
"Had I been a tennis player of the same rank as I am now, then I would have been driving a Ferrari and would have been definitely more famous," he says

----Pity, Indian Media don't realize that there are other sport persons too who deserve same treatment as Sania.

Sania Mirza now WTA rank 34

2005-09-12T02:46:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza , the 18 years old Indian women, who reached the 4th round of the US Open, is ranked 34 , as per the WTA ranking as of 12 September 2005. This is Sania’s career highest, the earlier career highest was 42, which she got on 29 Aug 2005.

Its nice to see Sania getting closer to Class of Under 32 WTA ranking, because she will have direct entry and also tournament seeding. Good Sania, keep up the Good work and may you achieve all that you want.

Aslam Razvi, advisory member of Jamaat-e-Islami, had taken resentment over the clothes Sania Mirza wears on court. His view, “We can’t understand why she should be wearing the kind of dress she wears on court. Why can’t she wear long skirts and full sleeve shirts?”. -- Found in a news Article

Mr. Aslam Razvi, suggestion is the most absurd statement i have heard/read in recent times. It reminds me of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, during Taliban rule, football players were allowed to play only in full pants.
Please some one explain to Mr. Aslam that each sport has its own outfit which suits the sport. Don't try to create controversies to get cheap popularity or front-page news.

Things to learn from Sania

2005-09-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

1. Being aggressive pays
2. Determination
3. The fighting spirit
4. Armed with oodles of positive thinking, Mirza manages to exemplify the all-American ethos of fighting spirit
5. Winning or losing – Mirza's got attitude, in fact loads of it.
6. Distinctive personality - Her tee-shirts leave a distinct impression thanks to the inscriptions on them

US open Player of the Day – Sania

2005-09-05T00:34:00.000-07:00

Sania’s match with sharapova was delight to Indian spectator. No doubt that Sharapova’s ability was to some extent superior to Sania, but with what sania had, she did a terrific work.
The fore hand and Back-hand deep shots made Sharapova move around the court, and had to stretch herself to her limits. Sharapove was quick to take advantage of sania’s weak 2nd serve. As statistics show, Sania won on 22% of 2nd serve points.

For Sania it was very important that she had a very good 1st serve, which is her weakest point in the Game. Sania also did not capitalize on the 5 break points that she had in the match. 6 Nos. of Double faults made the game easier for Sharapova.

Overall, Sania has done justice and played well with the kind of experience that she has. I have no doubt that once Sania improves on her serve and lower her unforced errors, Sharapova and William sisters will be a thing of past.

Tennis Circuit News.
"A girl with a lot of talent. Her best tennis is incredible. She's hitting the ball a lot harder than a lot of the top girls. She's going to be a very good player."
— Kim Clijsters,fourth seed at the US Open In an interview, Douglas Robson speaks about why Sania is the 'new talk' in New York...

What does Sania's T-shirts Say?

2005-09-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

You can either agree with me, or be wrong." - US Open 2005

"Well-behaved women rarely make history." - Wimbledon 2005

"I'm cute? No shit" - US Open 2005

Facts of Sanai Mirza

2005-09-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

Started playing tennis at 6, tutored by her father on clay courts that were riddled with ruts.

Her ranking leapt more spots - from 326 to 42 -- than any player in the U.S. Open's 2005 main draw.

Highest ever ranking held by an Indian woman - 42 (Belongs to Sania Mirza)

Its Raining Sania Mirza

2005-09-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

What’s special about Sania mirza

She has tremendous self belief and confidence
Her Forehand shots are too good
Speaks what she feels like (Apart from what her T-shirt says)

Shown that apart from cricket(India’s obsession) there are other sports also
Sachin Tendular and Shah rukh khan have competition
When she is on the Court, its only Tennis