The under-construction DLTA Complex is currently playing host to the women’s national championships, but strangely enough for a Monday morning packed schedule of first-round matches, all roads appeared to be leading to the serenely secluded courts at the back.

Regardless of their involvement in the day’s play, players, parents, and observers could be seen peering over each other’s shoulders and jostling for space just so they could get a peek at Sania Mirza and her fast-recovering forehand.

With mother Naseema watching, Sania traded a series of fierce forehands with Radhika Tulpule, the rallies interjected with good-humoured banter, and the new, improved, confident Sania was very much in evidence.

“A lot of people are surprised I’m playing again so fast, but I feel good to be on court again. It’s been nearly two weeks since I began hitting the ball, and I’m almost pain-free now. I feel fit, and I hope I stay fit. I feel like I’m improving by the minute,” smiled Sania.

The 21-year-old is in town for treatment on her right wrist from a doctor recommended by cricketer Yuvraj Singh, and will be here till Thursday.

Her mental tenacity hasn’t been left to doubt, as she has been soaking in the brickbats with equal aplomb since the early days of her career. The Olympics disappointment, though, was far too big a pill to swallow. “I was in depression after I got back. The Olympics performance was definitely the low point of my career. We weren’t sure what the problem was, so when I got back, we were all in a daze, rushing from one doctor to another trying to figure it out,” she said.

“But I’m a very positive person, and perhaps all this just had to happen. It is a long process, physically, mentally, but it is a process which has to take its course. I feel better after the treatment, and I know I look fitter,” she laughed.

The hardest part, though, was probably the inactivity. “I can’t sit idle for long. I would go crazy when it wasn’t possible for me to play, and going to the gym was the only option. I couldn’t even do upper body exercises, but I would hog the treadmill,” she said.

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Forced to stay away from courts for almost half the season, a fit again Sania Mirza is eyeing a comeback at January's Classic tennis tournament in Hong Kong and revealed that she almost sunk into depression while struggling to recover from a wrist injury.

The Indian ace is out of action since Beijing Olympics, where her wrist injury flared up again and she had to concede her first round singles match.

Sharing the trauma she faced when she ran out of options to get her wrist healed, she said it was difficult to cope with the situation at that time.

"It was scary. It was career threatening. I was almost going through depression. I think the post-injury period is more difficult to cope with and I am happy to be back. But I never doubted that I cannot make a comeback ," Sania, who is in capital for the treatment, said.

Sania said she was keen to make a comeback but was not in a hurry. She confirmed that she will play a team tournament in Hong Kong in January before resuming her Tour activities.

"It is a big honour to represent Asia. It is great to be a part of such a large field, where you have players like (Jelena) Jankovic and (Maria) Sharapova. But we still have two-and-a-half months to go and it is very long period in tennis," she said after spending about an hour on the DLTA courts, practicing with Radhika Tulpule.

Talking about the next season, she said she was approaching it cautiously. PTI
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BANGALORE: Sania Mirza is back on the tennis court, cracking forehands - pain free. Only two months ago, scenes of the big-hitting 21-year-old making a premature exit from the Olympic Games in a pool of tears were flashed from Beijing. Sania was frustrated as much by the physical pain as with the hopelessness of her situation.

The situation then, was worse than spectators, fans and even connoisseurs had imagined. The pain was so bad that Sania couldn't even lift a fork, let alone wield a tennis racquet. However, the cure has been quick and almost miraculous, thanks to a 26-year-old physiotherapist who practices the nascent South Korean science of spiral therapy, which is cell regeneration.

Shortly after the Olympic Games, Sania was in a private hell, doctors
were clueless, the pain was bad and the forecast, dismal. That's when she got a call from star Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who urged the striking Hyderabadi to give physiotherapist Jatin Chaudhry's treatment a shot.

"Yuvi told me that there was this doctor who could cure me in seven to ten days," Sania told TOI. "The call came at a time when I was staring surgery in the face for the second time in six months and thinking, that's another year of my tennis gone. I had gone to the best doctors in the world, had surgery and nothing was working. Sometimes, I couldn't even feel my little finger, the pain was numbing. Yuvi told me that Jatin fixed his shoulder in ten minutes, and that it could work for me too.

After the Olympics, Sania's management team, headed by father Imran, had flown in top notch Aussie physiotherapist Amir Takla, who finally deduced the problem as a post surgery complication, possibly due to poor rehabilitation. Sania's joints are hyper mobile (excessively flexible), which is the reason why she cracks such a powerful, wristy forehand. However, post-surgery - in Miami in April - the scar tissue that had grown over the wound was too thick and it cost her mobility.

Takla was of the view that Sania needed to go in for another surgery in which the scar tissue could be scraped off so that the wrist would regain 100 percent mobility. He couldn't, however, guarantee that the wrist would regain full mobility even after surgery. But surgery, along with a cortisone shot, was her best option.
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Sania Mirza has recaptured her wiry frame and looks hungry, but she is in no hurry to return to the professional tennis circuit. “The season is over. I am happy with the recovery,” Sania said.

India’s best-ever woman tennis player, ranked 27 in singles and 18 in doubles around the same time last year, is in the Capital to seek the guidance of a doctor who has already won her confidence by speeding up the recovery of her wrist.

During the Olympics in Beijing in August, the 21-year-old Sania had been troubled by pain on her wrist that had undergone surgery earlier in the season. The pain was in a new part of the wrist and needed fresh diagnosis. She was forced to take rest and seek professional advice.

“It was tough to diagnose for the doctors. There was even a suggestion that it may require another surgery. We even feared that I could play only in December. (Cricketer) Yuvraj Singh suggested a doctor here, and I am glad that I have already been able to hit thrice in the last 10 days,” Sania said after a brief training session with former champion Radhika Tulpule, a member of the coaching panel for the Commonwealth Games, at the DLTA courts here on Saturday.

A nightmare

It is a nightmare for every sportsperson to go through spells of injury that prove stumbling blocks especially in the path of a successful career, and Sania herself may not have been quite enthused about slipping in the rankings during the long period of inaction.

Yet, it has been a blessing in disguise as she has worked hard on her fitness which is very evident, and is bound to pay dividends once she returns to the circuit.

“I don’t want to hurry anything. I am prepared to play even the Challengers by December to get ready for the next season. Everything depends on how well my wrist shapes up. Touch wood, things look to be on the right track,” said Sania, who restricted herself to a light hitting session, a few serves, apart from going through the strengthening exercises of her wrists with the support of her mother Naseema.

For the kids and parents present at the venue, who were busy with the National tennis championship, it was special to find Sania practicing in one of the courts.

Some ventured up to her enthusiastically and politely requested for a photo and the Hyderabad player obliged with her beaming smile.

Perhaps, it is time to win some goodwill! — Special Correspondent

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Sania Mirza, despite some amazing qualities on the professional ground, needs to buck up fast.

Sania Mirza has dumped Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur for Telugu actor Navdeep Pallapolu. Adidas has introduced Sania Mirza’s signature collection. Some people felt offended when Sania Mirza wore a short skirt to play tennis and said pre-marital sex was not all that bad.

These are a few of the things you might get to know if you searched Google news using Sania Mirza as the key words. And yes, somewhere down the order, you will find bits about her plummeting ranking.

At 22, Steffi Graf had won 10 Grand Slam singles titles. But Graf was an exceptional, once-in-half-a-century kind of player. So, let’s look at former Spanish player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. All of 169 cm (that’s half an inch above 5’6”) and 56 kg, Sanchez-Vicario had modest talent, but worked hard to win the French singles title at 18. By 22, she had played in two other Grand Slam finals and seven semi-finals.

By the age of 22, the careers of most women tennis players get defined. You get a fair idea where they will end up.

Sania Mirza, who turns 22 on November 15, is moving away from her best performances with every passing year. Her best year yet was her first on the professional circuit, 2005, in which she reached the third round at the Australian Open, fourth at the US Open, and won her maiden and only WTA title.

Mirza’s career-high singles ranking was 27, which she touched on August 27, 2007, and the best doubles rank 18 (September 10, 2007). Since then, she has been on a downward journey, falling in the latest rankings to 98 in singles and 56 in doubles. This year, Mirza has won only 11 singles matches and lost 12. In doubles, she has won 11 and lost 9. It’s true that she has been plagued by injuries, but that is the bane of every sporting life. Other than the opponents, sporting success is about battling injuries.

Fortunately, she does not suffer from the usual Indian disadvantage of physique. She is a good 4 cm taller than Sanchez-Vicario and a kilo heavier. Besides, unlike the Spanish girl, Mirza has a standout shot: the forehand, which can match the best in the business.

Unfortunately, she has remained a one-trick pony. Her first serve remains a feeble link in a chain that also has other weak links, most notably the poor court coverage. Despite three years on the professional circuit, Mirza remains some distance from the global standards of fitness.

Mirza has achieved more, much more, than any other Indian female tennis player. But a low benchmark need not necessarily result in a low ambition.

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CHENNAI: Recently-crowned World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic heads the list of players who will take part in the JB Group Classic tennis tournament to be held in Hong Kong from January 7 to 10, 2009, according to a media release.

The remaining field will be announced during the course of the year.

The tournament, which serves as a lead-up to the Australian Open, will see a change in format. The 2009 edition will feature four teams from Europe, Russia, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Each team will consist of three players, who will compete in singles and doubles, and will be led by a global star player.

Jankovic, who will be playing in Hong Kong for the first time, will lead Team Europe. The 2007 champion and seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams will lead the Americas, while 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova will spearhead the Russian challenge. India’s Sania Mirza will compete for Asia-Pacific.

The four teams will be placed in a semifinal draw with each tie consisting of singles and doubles matches. The teams with most wins will proceed to the JB Gold Group final, while the losers will compete in the JB Silver Group final.

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The tennis star is apparently seeing South Indian actor Navdeep Pallapolu

After her rumoured relationship with Shahid Kapur, sports star Sania Mirza, if sources are to be believed, is dating a new man—Navdeep Pallapolu, one of the most sought after actors in the Telugu and Tamil film industry.

A source says, “Both Sania and Navdeep met each other through common friends. Their association first began with friendship and developed further. They work out at the same gym. They even go for dinners and coffee. Navdeep has also introduced Sania to his friend circle. Sania finds him very down to earth and enjoys his sense of humour. ”

The 23-year-old Navdeep is hot property in Hyderabad. When contacted, Navdeep who is currently shooting in Bangkok said, “We are just good friends. We are gym mates. We hang out together sometimes, that’s it. I don’t want to talk anything beyond that.” Sania, despite repeated attempts, was not available for comment.

It might be mentioned that Sania and Shahid, a few months ago, shared a close rapport and were often spotted together. Sania would often drop in at Shahid’s sets.
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Sania Mirza Quotes 1. "That's how I play. I'm going to have maybe 50 unforced errors one day, but I'm going to also have 50 winners that day. People just have to accept me the way I play. Maybe I can add variation to my game, but I'm going to win matches only when I hit those winners."
- Sania Mirza

2. "I had fun out there. Had a great Open. First US Open, I don't think I can ask for more. Very happy."
- Sania Mirza

3. "I just came here thinking I wanted to win one round and won three,"
- Sania Mirza

4. "There were a lot of games that I could have taken but I had fun out there. In my first U.S. Open I couldn't have asked for any more."
- Sania Mirza

5. "I have nothing to lose if I'm going to play her. There's obviously no pressure on me. I don't think a lot of people expect me to win."
- Sania Mirza

6. That's not what I think every time I step on court, that an Indian never did this, an Indian never did that. I'm just there because I just want to be there. I'm happy, I'm starting something. I'm not thinking who did it or who's gonna do it." 7. for whatever I have to do on court as an 18-year-old."
- Sania Mirza

8. "If you expect me to play perfect tennis, I can't. What matters most is that I won."
- Sania Mirza

9. I could add variation to my game, but I'm going to win matches only when I hit those winners. I enjoy hitting the ball as hard as I can. I enjoy taking risks. And I believe you always have to take risks."
- Sania Mirza

10. I think I played one of my best matches. She's the number one seed, and I'm happy that I was able to play my game."
- Sania Mirza

11. "I'm old enough to know better, but still too young to care."
- Sania Mirza

12. "As long as I am winning, people shouldn't care whether my skirt is six inches long or 6 feet long,"
- Sania Mirza

13. How I dress is very personal thing."
- Sania Mirza

14. "Having been away from competitive tennis for a while, I am looking forward immensely to getting back on the circuit ... I am looking forward to playing the Big Girls. People have had expectations from me even when I was 10 years old. I try to switch off but you are right, it isn't always easy to do that because the expectations are really mounting."
- Sania Mirza

15. "It's amazing ... the amount of people that are so proud of you when you go back home, the amount of people that come up to you and say, 'I'm proud to be Indian, you're doing a great job for India. It's just amazing that you can bring so many smiles to so many faces."
- Sania Mirza

16. "She is a great player, but everyone is beatable,"
- Sania Mirza
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Sania Mirza Profile Sania Mirza: Indian Tennis Player
Nationality: Indian
Plays: Right-Handed (Two-Handed Backhand)
Status: Pro (2003)

Birth Date: November 15, 1986
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Currently Residing At: Hyderabad, India
Height: 5'8" (1.73m)
Weight: 126 lbs (57kg)

Current WTA Tour Rankings - As of 16/06/2008
Singles: 33
Race Singles: 71
Doubles: 19

Highest Singles Ranking: 27 (August 27, 2007)
Highest Doubles Ranking: 18 (September 10, 2007)
Season Ending Singles Ranking: 31 (2007), 66 (2006), 31 (2005), 206 (2004), 399 (2003), 837 (2002), 987 (2001)

Clothing & Equipment
Clothing: Adidas
Racquet: Head MicroGel Extreme Pro
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Sania Mirza Biography

Born in City of Mumbai in India, and coming from Hyderabad, Sania Mirza, the youth icon of India is creating history in Tennis worldwide. She is the first Indian to get into Top 50 WTA Ranking. Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to win a WTA (Hyderabad Open trophy) in February 2005

Name	Sania Mirza
Date of Birth	15th November 1986
Place of Birth	Mumbai, India
Residence	Hydrabad, India
Nationality	Indian
Weight	54 Kgs.
Height	1.53 Meters

Sania Mirza Profile

Hobbies	Swimming & Music
Favorite Tournament	WTA Indian Open
Favorite Surface	Hard Courts
Favorite Music	Rap and Hindi Remix
Favorite Tennis Player	Steffi Graff
Coaching By	Narendranath, Vasudeva Reddy & C.G.K Bhupati

Tournament History

Tournament History : Aug 2005 Women's Singles Finalist, Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic, N.Y., USA, WTA Tier IV
Jul 2005 Women's Singles Quarterfinalist, Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, Cincinnati, OH, USA, WTA Tier III
Feb 2005 Women's Singles Quarterfinalist, Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, Dubai, UAE, WTA Tier II
Feb 2005 Women's Singles Winner, Hyderabad Open 2005, Hyderabad, WTA Tier IV
Aug 2003 G18 Dbles Finalist (with Anna Tchakvetadze RUS), Canadian Open, Repentigny, CAN, ITF G1
Jun 2003 G18 Dbles Champion (with Alisa Kleybanova RUS), The Junior Championships, Wimbledon, London, GBR, ITF GA
Jun 2003 G18 Dbles Quarterfinalist (with Sanaa Bhambri IND), Gerry Weber Open, Halle, GER, ITF G4
Jun 2003 G18 Dbles Winner (with Sanaa Bhambri IND), 11th Frankfurt Internation, GER, ITF G1
Jun 2003 G18 Dbles Semifinalist (with Sanaa Bhambri IND), French Open, Roland Garros, FRA, ITF GA
May 2003 G18 Dbles Quarterfinalist (with Beier Ko CAN), 39th Astrid Bowl, BEL, ITF G1
Apr 2003 G18 Dbles Winner (with Sanaa Bhambri IND), Shuzo Challenge Japan Open, Nagoya, JPN, ITF G1
Apr 2003 G18 Singles Quarterfinalist, Shuzo Challenge Japan Open, Nagoya, JPN, ITF G1
Apr 2003 G18 Singles Winner, 14th Mitsubishi Lancer, Manila, PHI, ITF G1
Apr 2003 G18 Dbles Semifinalist (with Yung-Jan Chan TPE), 14th Mitsubishi Lancer, Manila, PHI, ITF G1
Dec 2002 Singles Winner & Doubles Finalist (with Isha Lakhani IND), Asian Closed Junior Tennis Championships, ITF GB2
Sep 2002 16U Team India (with Ankita Bhambri & Kartiki Bhat), Junior Fed Cup
Sep 2002 Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Isha Lakhani IND) US Open, USA, ITF Grade A
Aug 2002 Singles Winner & Doubles Winner (with Tarryn Terblanche RSA), South/Central Africa Circuit, Botswana, ITF G3
Jul 2002 Doubles Finalist, Smash Tennis EGY, ITG G3
Jul 2002 Singles Winner & Doubles Winner (with Isha Lakhani IND), Pretoria University, ITF G2
Jul 2002 Doubles Winner (with Isha Lakhani IND), PIC Pretoria, ITF G2
May 2002 Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Micaela Moran ARG), Villach Cup Austria, ITF G2
Apr 2002 Doubles Finalist (with Lara Giltinana AUS) & Singles Quarter-finalist, Chinese Taipei Jo Jo Internation, ITF G3
Apr 2002 Singles Quarter-finalist, Mitsubishi Lancer, PHI, ITF G2
Jan 2002 Doubles Winner (with Linda Smolenakova SVK) & Singles Quarter-finalist, Victorian Champs., AUS, ITF G2
Dec 2001 Doubles Semifinalist (with Sanaa Bhambri IND), Asian Closed, ITF G B2
Oct 2001 Singles & Doubles Finalist, Hong Kong Open, ITF G2
Oct 2001 Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Hanna Nooni SWE) & Singles rd of 16, Osaka Mayor's Cup, Japan, ITF Grade A
Aug 2001 Singles & Doubles Semifinalist (with Sasha Abraham IND) KawZulu Natal, ITF G1
Aug 2001 Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Sasha Abraham IND), Dolphen Coast, ITF G2
Jul 2001 Doubles Winner (with Wana Mrazovic YUG) & Singles Finalist, Smash Tennis Internation G4
Jul 2001 Singles & Doubles Winner (with Sasha Abraham IND), Movenpick Internation G3
Apr 2001 Singles Semifinalist, Mitsubishi Lancer Internation G2
Mar 2001 Singles Quarter-finalist, Mali Milk Cup, 21st Thailand Open G2
Mar 2001 Singles Quarter-finalist, Malaysian Internation G3
Feb 2001 Singles Winner & Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Sasha Abraham IND), Bangladesh Internation G3
Feb 2001 Singles & Doubles Semifinalist (with Maya Rosa INA), Rajshahi Internation G4
Feb 2001 Singles Winner & Doubles Finalist (with May Rosa INA), India ITF Junior Circuit III - Calcutta G4
Jan 2001 Singles & Doubles Winner (with Sasha Abraham IND), Indian ITF Junior 11 - Chandigarh G4
Jan 2001 Doubles Winner (with Sasha Abraham IND) & Singles Quarter-finalist, Indian ITF Junior I - New Delhi G4
Nov 2000 Doubles Semifinalist (with Leila Cehajic CAN), T-Bar Internation, ITF G5
Nov 2000 Doubles Semifinalist (with Sasha Abraham IND) & Singles Quarter-finalist, Malaysia Internation 2 G4
Oct 2000 Singles & Doubles Winner (with Zahra Omer Khan PAK), Pakistan Internation Junior Championships G5
Sep 2000 Singles Winner & Doubles Semifinalist (with Reddhina Parekh IND), Indian ITF - Mumbai G4
Sep 2000 Singles & Doubles Semifinalist (with Priyanka Parekh IND), Indian ITF Junior -Chennai G5
Aug 2000 Singles Semifinalist, Internation Youth Tennis G4
Feb 2000 Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Anete Rozkalne LAT), Bangladesh Internation , ITF G3
Jan 2000 Singles Quarter-finalist, Indian ITF I - New Delhi G4
Jan 2000 Singles Finalist & Doubles Quarter-finalist (with Nichala Reddy Boda IND), Internation, Sri Lanka G4
Nov 1999 Singles Quarter-finalist, India ITF Junior Circuit III Grade 5
Nov 1999 Doubles Winner (with Nida Waseem PAK) & Singles Finalist, Pakistan Internation G5

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