Calcutta: The Sunfeast Open brought together two of the greatest sporting icons of India on Tuesday — Sachin Tendulkar and Sania Mirza. Sachin, in the city for a promotional of the WTA meet, and Sania, forced out of the meet with a wrist injury, jointly interacted with the press and talked about tennis and life.
The following are excerpts
Sachin on Sania and vice-versa
Sachin: I was a keen follower of Leander and Mahesh’s game. Now, Sania has taken my interest to a different level altogether. The idea, for all of us, is to keep the tricolour flying and the trio are doing a great job.
Sania: Having grown up in India, I used to watch a lot of cricket. And Sachin has always been my hero. What I admire most about him is the way he handles pressure. Something that I’m learning to do right now. Even when he hits a 97, people ask questions about his retirement plans! The way he has handled expectations has been amazing.
How do you handle injuries?
Sachin: Any sportsperson has to push himself/herself 100 per cent all the time. So injuries are bound to happen. A sportsperson’s life is all about how to overcome those obstacles. Rehabilitation is very important and the idea is to come back stronger. You have to be very tough mentally to deal with it all.
Sania: As Sachin said, injury is a part and parcel of our lives since we are defying nature on a daily basis. Earlier this year, my knee injury put me out of the circuit for three months. I was very depressed. I experienced the same depression last (Monday) night when I had to announce that I was pulling out of the Sunfeast Open. But I’d rather get my injury to heal in a couple of weeks and not sit out for another three months. Decisions are tough but you have to listen to your body rather than your emotions.
Who’s the better player, Pete Sampras or Roger Federer?
Sachin: I would prefer to watch them play each other since both are terrific players.
Sania: I’m biased. I’m for Federer. So what if he has 12 Grand Slams to Sampras’s 14? He’s only 25 and has quite a few years left to catch up with Sampras. What I admire most about the world No. 1 is that he is a perfectionist, and that is something very difficult to attain in sport.
What other sports do you play/watch?
Sachin: I love to play all racket sports, like table tennis, squash, tennis, badminton. As a kid I was a big John McEnroe fan. I would move around wearing McEnroe-type headbands and wrist bands. I have never been much of a follower of football, though I watched Manchester United play at Old Trafford recently. The atmosphere was just terrific.
Sania: I used to swim a lot. I warm up with soccer sometimes, but I’m really bad at it. And maybe if I was a guy, I would be playing cricket…
Do you feel sponsorship money is adequately flowing into other sports, apart from cricket?
Sachin: Yes, nowadays money is flowing into other sports too. This is welcome. I have always appreciated talent in other sports.
Sania: A lot of sponsors are diversifying into other sports. The movie Chak de! India drew a lot of attention to women’s hockey. Shooting too is coming into focus.
Would it be a good idea to have a movie on tennis too?
Sachin: Sania, for me, is an on-going movie which I hope won’t finish soon.
Sania: The ups and downs in the life of a young tennis player would be an interesting movie, I think.
Sania has been having an amazing run since her comeback from injury. However, Anna Chakvetadze seems to have become her nemesis. Your comments?
Sachin: A world ranking of 27 is a terrific achievement. On a playing field, anything can happen on a given day. Like, Australia lost to Zimbabwe in a recent Twenty20 match. Sania has shown progress and this will continue. That’s important.
Sania: There is a lot of depth in women’s tennis now and rankings don’t matter. Each time you go on to the court, you have to believe that you are in no way less than any other player and at the same time give your hundred per cent.
