Hyderabad, Feb. 7: Andre Agassi in a dhoti? Fantasy.

Martina Navratilova in a sari? Not fantasy any more.

The tennis legend, and all the participants of the Hyderabad Open, will don India?s national costume ? a sari or salwar kameez ? for a players? banquet tomorrow at an undisclosed venue.

At a dress rehearsal tonight, Navratilova turned out in a green silk sari.

The word in tennis circles is that the organisers thought up the mid-tournament gala this year inspired by the presence of Navratilova, the winner of the most Wimbledon titles, and Jelena Dokic, the Serb beauty who has made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Across the world, participants in a tournament often pose in the national dress or an item representative of the host country, like the broad-brimmed Aussie hats given at Australian Open. This January, Roger Federer was seen in the flowing white Arabic dress at Doha before the Qatar Open.

A dearth of talent had so far limited India?s opportunity to flaunt its traditional clothes in tennis circles. Now, buoyed by Sania Mirza?s third round appearance at the Australian Open ? the best by any Indian girl ? the organisers have snapped up the chance offered by the third edition of the Hyderabad Open, the premier WTA tournament in India.

Even as the competition got underway today, Shweta Bhupathi, wife of tennis ace Mahesh and the hostess of Globosports, the event manager, was busy with the arduous task of selecting saris ? or salwar kameez ? for almost 32 participants, including four Indians.

As she goes dress hunting, she has to keep in mind the muscular frame of Navratilova, the stocky Sania or the lissome Jelena. But she is being ably assisted by state tourism minister J. Geeta Reddy and Shailaja Kiran, daughter-in-law of media tycoon Ramoji Rao.

Kiran, the managing director of Ramoji?s Margadarshi Chit Funds, also owns Kalanjali, an upmarket boutique in the city.

According to organisers, Kalanjali has offered to supply the saris for the banquet, being hosted by sponsors Globosports and the state tourism department, with the option that the players can buy them.

If the saris ? with the usual accoutrements like blouse and petticoat ? do not find takers among the players, they would be put up for auction and the proceedings donated to a tsunami relief fund.

The venue of the banquet is being kept a secret for security. Guards of the Agile Group are keeping fans and the media at arm?s length from the stars with the organisers viewing the Naxalites as well as the ransom gangs active in the state as threats.

Navratilova and her ilk might also be a threat to India?s best on the court, but tomorrow they could ace them when it comes to draping the sari.