Olympic gold will complete it, but not the only thing: Sania Mirza

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk,SportsCafe Editor

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Sania Mirza is eyeing a rare tennis gold for India at next year’s Rio Olympics, but the women’s doubles number one player said life will continue even if she is unable to bring home the prized yellow medal.

Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis have won eight titles this season including triumphs at Wimbledon and the US Open, since joining forces in March, and speculations over who will team up with her in the Rio mixed doubles campaign are ramping up.

“It would be amazing. As players we do want that, but we also have four Slams a year,” Mirza told AFP news agency in Beijing. “So it’s not like a lot of other sports where they get one opportunity every four years – we kind of get opportunities every four months,” she added.

“So it would be amazing, it would feel like probably I’ve won everything then if I win that Olympic medal. But if I don’t, I’m not going to kill myself. I mean life goes on.”

India’s only individual gold medal was won by shooter Abhinav Bindra at the Beijing Games in 2008, while their only tennis medal is the bronze by Leander Paes in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

“People kind of expect that if you don't have that medal, you're depressed. It's not like that," Mirza said. “The last time, I remember we played the Olympics and before people left the Olympic village we were already competing in another tournament.

“That's how a tennis player's life really is. It would be amazing to win a medal and I’ll do whatever I can, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”

Mirza said it was early to decide who between veteran Paes and Rohan Bopanna would get the nod to partner her in mixed doubles.

“Rohan's been playing really well obviously, and Leander's won some mixed (doubles) this year,” Mirza said. “In a tennis player's life, eight months is a long time, so we'll just take a call closer to the event. All I can say is that hopefully the best team will be put forward.”

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