Sania at the event in Bhubaneswar

Sania Mirza is synonymous with tennis in India. With already five doubles titles in her kitty this year, the tennis star aims to claim the top rank in the near future. Sania was in town to deliver a talk on women in sports. In an exclusive interview with t2, she spoke about tennis, family and more. Excerpts:

How does it feel to visit Odisha?

I had visited Bhubaneswar as a 13-year old for a tournament. That was 14 years ago but I have fond memories. Also, it is always wonderful to be in cities you do not get to visit that often. This trip has been a great experience. There’s so much love and affection. I would surely come here again in the near future.

You paired with Cara Black recently and claimed the women’s doubles title at the China Open. How has it been partnering with the Zimbabwe player?

We are playing really well. We started on a winning note with the Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo and followed it up with the China Open title. We share great chemistry and we have realised that within a very short time. We are lucky because the understanding between the two players is the key to playing well. We are at number nine and can really get to the top spot with this kind of performance.

Any plans to resume your singles career?

Not at the moment. I am completely focusing on doubles right now. It was the toughest decision of my life to give a break to my singles career. I had to choose between playing singles or doubles because my body was not permitting both. So I thought I wouldn’t exhaust myself so much now and I’d rather save my body for a longer career and focus on doubles. It has paid off well.

It has been long that we saw someone perform as good as you when it comes to world rankings. Do you see any young players in the country as great performers in the long run?

It is easy to point out one or two names. There is no dearth of talent. We have plenty of raw talent in India, but preparation for the international level takes more than that. A budding player needs a lot of input, which is not easily available here in India. But I find great promise in Ankita Raina. She recently broke into the top 300 and that is pretty good!

Tell us about the academy that you recently set up in Hyderabad.

It is a sprawling four-acre tennis academy with nine hard courts and three clay courts and various facilities required for training. We also have international coaches. Already, 50 children have enrolled in it. We provide international-standard coaching and it is a great opportunity for kids who now will not be able to say that they do not get the level of training available in Europe or America. Our family is proud of the set up. It is definitely the best in India. This is my way of giving back to the sport.

Do you feel we need more big championships in India?

Of course we do. There were a couple of championships that have stopped now. There are none that I can play or top international players would come down for.

Having a sportsman as husband must be helpful. Yet, how do you balance time between family, tours, academy and so on?

I am usually asked this. There is no answer to the “how”. It just happens since it has to be done. You just need support for your decisions. I was fortunate that my parents always trusted in my dreams and supported me in all ways they could. I have a great sister who is eight years younger to me, but she is my life-support system. Having a sportsman husband obviously helps, being an athlete himself he understands the pressures and demands of a career in sports. He plays at the highest level (i.e. international level) of the game in his sport. But in a general way, every working woman needs support and only few of us are fortunate. I wish everyone received such support from their families, which is very important in today’s life.

Coming to your style statement, you are wearing Namrata Joshipura today. How do you pick your attires?

I go for stuff that looks nice. It could be casual and not very trendy. I go for clothes that I can wear even after a couple of years. So I prefer classy shades.