Hyderabad, Otober 29: A complete sports loving family, the Mirzas had never thought that their daughter would bring so much fame to their family. That too in a country which is obsessed with the game of cricket. As it normally happens with any Indian, as far as sports is concerned, “Cricket was obviously our first love and sports has always been in our family,” starts off Imran Mirza, Sania’s Mirza’s father, as he talks at length in an exclusive interview.
“So it was natural that Sania would also make her career in sports. We just wanted her to play and enjoy, irrespective of the game. She got into tennis at the age of six and within a fortnight of her joining the game, I got a call from her coach saying I should see her play. I didn’t go, but Sania continued playing there. Her mother used to accompany her to her practice. When I went to see her play after about two months, I saw that she truly possessed some talent. And from that point on we always encouraged her to take up tennis,” continues Imran Mirza.
For Sania, I have always been on the go, be it Ahmedabad, Coimbatore or Mumbai. We spent more time in car travelling than on any tennis court. We used to usually travel during summer and winter holidays.”
But this father had bigger dreams for his daughter, he wanted Sania to play and learn on international levels. And with big dreams comes bigger responsibility too. “My wife and I were like the team running behind her. We mastered the art of picking the right matches and tournaments for her. There were some matches which she had to win while some tournaments were to participate for experience, irrespective of winning or losing. I remember when she was just 12 we decided that she should participate on an international platform. Getting in at the junior level in Islamabad in Pakistan would be the best win for Sania. People objected, but we knew what was best for her,” says the father. For trivia hungry, Sania was the Doubles winner and also the finalist for Singles.
Sania slowly started strengthening her international career. “She reached the finals of the Wimbledon at the age of 14 junior level. At that time she was very small to understand how big an achievement it was for an Indian woman to reach this international platform and make her country proud. For her it was just another tournament. But we as parents understood the importance of it,” says Mirza senior.
Sania’s every single achievement was celebrated by her family, while her difficult days were passed on with equally strong support from them. “Being a family we have played an important part in shaping up her temperament, right from childhood. We have never pressurised her to win any game, but asked her to enjoy it. She has learnt to maintain her cool during games and fight her way out out of tough times. Sania has had three major surgeries done, on both her knees and her right wrist. That was the difficult period for her. It was hard for her even to eat. And it is the worst thing for a sportsperson when he or she cannot perform due to injuries. Having achieved so much in the past, Sania was limping and walking on crutches. She needed that emotional help… she needed her support system, which was her family. There have been a lot of controversies and difficult times but we have always been there with her. It is said that when you start off with a new idea, you have to pay a price. Sania has paid hers,” reminisces her father.
Imran also talks about how Sania stood by her words, and reached the top as she had aspired. “The most touching incident happened in 1999 when Sania was 13 years old. Her ranking was 250th among the juniors and we had gone to the US for a tournament. She played 5-6 matches but couldn’t win any. At the end she came to me and I asked her, ‘Do you think you will ever be able to match up to them?’ to which she replied, ‘I think I can, but I need six months’. I could sense the fire in her eyes. And sure enough, within six months she came up to the 50th rank and entered the Wimbledon in 2001,” says the proud father.
And then there was no looking back. There came a moment of ultimate happiness. Reminiscing some rare moments Imran Mirza says, “It was a very special moment when she won the Grand Slam Doubles in 2009, getting the 27th ranking. It was indeed a great achievement. In 2006, the whole media wrote off Sania saying that she was no match for Martina Hingis as she had lost a match opposite her. But within a week’s time, Sania rose up and defeated Martina in a match in Korea. And now I hope that she qualifies for the Olympics next year and wins a medal for the nation,” before hanging up on an emotional note.
-Agencies