Sania Mirza is the only noteable indian woman tennis personality. She burst onto the scene in 2005 with excellent performances. The year 2005 was a real breakthrough year for Sania. She reached the 3rd round at the Australian Open losing to eventual champ Serena, she reached the 2nd round at Wimbledon losing a close battle to Kuznetsova. but the icing on the cake in 2005 was her 4th round appearance at the US Open where she lost to Sharapova. 2005 also saw sania winning her maiden and only WTA Tour title to date at her home city of Hyderabad.



What followed was her ranking shooting up to an unprecedented 32 in the world. In India the reception which her performances got was exceptional. Cricket has been the sole dominant sport in india. But the arrival of Sania gave a new avenue for the indians to pour their patriotism into. She became the darling of the masses at the sweet age of 18.

Her sultry, classy and youthful looks too have been a factor in her being so popular with the masses particularly the youth. Endorsements and sponsors were waiting in the queue for Sania. She bagged many huge sponsors like lotto,sprite etc etc. She made big bucks at a small age thanks partly to her tennis and largely due to her looks which are a big draw




The year 2006 was a very patchy one for Sania. The reason could either be her lack of speed on court or her opponents sorting her game out. People also accused her of loosing focus on her tennis and instead doing more ads for her sponsors. Her results in singles in 2006 were mediocre to be honest. But the year also saw her making a good mark as a doubles player. Doubles added a new dimension to her singles game. She started attacking the net thanks to the influence of doubles.

But she finished the year 2006 on a high. She led the indian team to a good showing in the Hopman cup in Hobart along with Bopanna. She also featured prominently in the Asian Games in Doha winning 3 medals for India teaming up with the likes of the great Leander Paes.

She recognized her weaknesses namely lack of fitness and slow speed. She started working with a Southafrican trainer and the results have started coming. Today we see a much fitter sania with an athletic streak. Her speed has improved

She has started 2007 with a good showing in a tournament preceding the Aussie open. She has made the quaterfinals as of today. Have to see how much progress she makes. Sania is definitely fit and hungry for success. She has been rejuvenated by her training stint. So we indian sports fans can look forward to some much improved tennis from the currently 66th ranked Sania

All the best to Sania. She is the only hope for India to gain a footing in the world's tennis map.

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