Sania Mirza: It's been an unbelievable year and a half

ByArun S Kaimal, SportsCafe Editor

06/08/2016

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has had an unbelievable year along with her doubles partner Martina Hingis winning 5 titles including the Australian Open. Although they failed to win the title at the Roland Garros, Mirza believes that the chemistry between the two has helped them in tough situations.

After they joined hands at the Indian Wells back in 2015 March, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis went through the run of their life winning a total of 14 WTA titles, including the Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. The World No.1 duo also managed a 41-match unbeaten run in this period, before hitting a lean patch, which saw them face exits early at the Miami Open and the Indian Wells. Mirza and Hingis went into the French Open aiming for a career slam, but a third round exit ended their hopes. Although their golden run ended a few months back, Sania Mirza believes that the last year and a half has been unbelievable for the Indo-Swiss duo.

"Me and Martina started about 15 months back and we just clicked. Sometimes you play with people and you have to work on it. It takes time but fortunately for us we not only clicked immediately but kept the run going. It's been an unbelievable year and a half and we have had an amazing time on the court.

"We have also become good friends off the court. That chemistry helps us get through the tough situations on court as well," Mirza told IANS in an interview.

Mirza also had a good run with her mixed doubles partner Ivan Dodig. After teaming up with the Croatian, the duo managed a semi-final run in the Australian Open before agonisingly losing the French Open title to Leander Paes and Martina Hingis.

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"With Ivan (Dodig), we played a bit during the IPTL for the same team and became friends. It was by chance really. We just decided to play together in Australia and played pretty well. He's got a great serve and plays pretty well from the back. So we complement each other," the World No.1 doubles player added.

When asked about her motivation to keep on playing, the 29-year-old said that her love for tennis is keeping her going.

"The biggest motivation when I started playing was my love for tennis. My parents played an important role. Today it's only because I love competing. I love the sport. I miss the feeling of winning. That's what we were born to do. I love being out here and travelling the world. It is hard work but we have a blessed life," she added.

The Hyderabad player has won numerous accolades including the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Shri, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and the Arjuna award. When asked about her feeling after receiving all these recognitions, Sania said that the awards keep her motivated and help her in bringing glory for the country.

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"It is a huge honour for me. Like when I got the Khel Ratna, I flew back from America just for three days to receive the award. Also, the Padma Bhushan award means you are recognised by your whole country, your government and it's the biggest honour living in our country as a person we can have. I feel extremely privileged and honoured to receive these awards. This is something that motivates us, inspires us to work harder and try and achieve more glory for the country,” Saina said, reported IANS.

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