Not stopping anytime soon: Sania Mirza

On the court, she’s feisty and powerful. Off it, she is sassy, spirited and spunky. Sania Mirza shoots straight from the heart and does not hesitate to wear her attitude on her sleeve. While her match-winning performances have brought her unprecedented praise and fame, her off-court persona, assertiveness and way of dressing has resulted in both brickbats and bouquets. But throughout the journey, Sania has been a brand to reckon with, in a league of her own. 

“Brand Sania has changed through the years and for the better. But, one thing that’s remained constant is my honesty. That is something that I take great pride in and will never compromise on,” begins Sania, who was in the city recently to launch the third season of her sister Anam Mirza and brother-in-law Akbar Rasheed’s The Label Bazaar, an exhibition showcasing everything to do with fashion under one roof. 

“I have very close family here and I’ve been in the city for the past couple of days. Chennai is special also because I’ve played several tournaments as a young girl here. So whenever I visit, it’s very nostalgic,” adds Sania looking stunning in a black bodycon dress. Sania’s sartorial choices are often widely written about. “The credit goes to my sister and my team. Although I love fashion, I don’t understand it. I just need to be comfortable. I don’t even look into the mirror when my look is being put together. I trust Anam, my other stylist Ami Patel and my make-up artist blindly,” adds Sania.  

Apart from the court, endorsements and promotional events, Sania’s other sphere of public engagement has been social media. Much like other celebrities, Sania has also been subjected to viscous attacks. But largely, she’s taken the slings and arrows in her stride. “We’re a country of 1.25 billion people so it’s not possible for everyone to like you. I’ve been a celebrity for a while now and I’ve learnt to accept criticism. 

However, there’s a lot of negativity on social media. Although I don’t read all my mentions on Twitter, there are times when I lose it. I respond to a random troll once in a while. Having said that, personal attacks must be avoided. People who make them are just spineless human beings who have nothing to do in life and want to just spread hatred. They’re the biggest cowards in the world. It’s easy to hide behind a screen and abuse me. And girls in particular are at the receiving end of such comments. I would say ignore and don’t let that affect you. They’re not worth your time,” asserts Sania.

As the conversation veers towards matters of the heart, we ask Sania about her seven-year-long marriage to ace Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik. The power couple recently celebrated their seventh anniversary. “We couldn’t spend the anniversary together. He was on another side of the planet playing against West Indies. But he scored a century, won man of the match and series on that day. Two years ago, on the same day I reached number one as well. So I guess our anniversary is lucky for us, both personally and professionally,” muses a visibly elated Sania.

Speaking of her professional career, Sania has had a solid year already and hopes to build on it. “I have already played a Grand Slam final (mixed doubles at Australian Open), a title (in Brisbane), some finals (Miami, Sydney) and a bunch of semi-finals. But I am very critical of myself and always feel I can do better, no matter what and possibly win more titles,” says Sania. 

She is also looking forward to play with her new women’s doubles partner - Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan. “I have known her forever. She is a great girl and she’s won Grand Slam titles. I hope it won’t take us long to connect. She is a very powerful player and plays on the backhand side of the court. I hope we enjoy ourselves on the court and also produce good results,” says Sania whose partnership with Czech Republic’s Barbara Strycova came to an end a few weeks ago. 

“We had different priorities. Barbara is very good in singles and when she has a deep run in both singles and doubles at a tournament it becomes tough. She has to play eight-nine matches week after week and was getting very tired. We were not able to win for certain reasons. Priorities were different and we felt it was time for a mutual break,” explains Sania who will leave for the Madrid Open on May 2. 

Grand Slam titles, World No. 1 and more, there isn’t an honour or championship Sania hasn’t achieved. What is it that still keeps her going? “The fact that I want to play tennis keeps me going. I have never got up feeling, ‘Oh, god, I have to play tennis today.’ I’m at a stage where it is very easy for me to stop. But my passion for the game and the will to achieve certain goals that I have set for myself keep me going for I always believe that I can be the best at anything that I do. This belief is the greatest motivational factor. So I'm not stopping anytime soon,” she finishes.