DUBAI: There were more gasps of ‘ooohs and ahhs’ in the Fateh Maidan Stadium that February weekend in 2005, than there may have been in a circus tent offering tricks and twists. There was also love. The sweet winds of Valentine’s Day were already blowing.
Each time Sania Mirza, in a lapis lazuli tinged co-ord set, shorts and tee, tossed the ball to serve, the crowd went into a tizzy. Organizers were forced to appeal to fans a couple of hours before the final of the Hyderabad Open, asking them to follow the action from home on television because the 15,000-capacity arena was already full.
At a press conference during that week, Mirza was asked if all that noise the crowd was making when she served was distracting to her opponent. Mirza, who had turned 18 three months earlier, barely waited for the question to be completed when she returned the ball with twice the power and thrice the placement. ‘Because I am deaf?’ she asked.
That should’ve been warning enough that this wasn’t just an epoch-making athlete, who was simply going to take the baton and run. That she would do, but along the way, stereotypes would go up in smoke, and norms would be swept aside in customary disdain. And as she powers to the finish line a liberated, empowered space beckons. It is for the generations that follow.
Almost two decades later -- six major titles (doubles and mixed doubles), and 91 weeks as the world no.1 (doubles) –the roar of thunder still resonates in her forehand.
Mirza’s power and personality shrunk the court that was her stage, it turned the lights on her, sparking controversy and outrage. What she wore and what she didn’t, the length of her skirts and the statement on her tees, the colour of her hair this week and the swing of her hips the next.
Ahead of the 2012 London Olympics she called out the All India Tennis Association for using her as a bait to appease Leander Paes when she wanted to partner Mahesh Bhupathi alongside who she had won the French Open only weeks prior to the Olympics.
She was Bollywood in a tennis skirt, complete with dance moves. She owned the drama like no one before her.
Through it all her tennis grew. Mirza finished in the top-35 of the WTA rankings for four straight years (2005-2008), hitting a career high of No.27 in 2007. By the end of 2012, the scars of injuries and surgeries, she shifted her focus to doubles, where in April 2015 she took over the No.1 ranking.
In her 20th season as a pro, hate is still thrown at her, significantly amplified by social media. Her Instagram following has11.1 million, a megacity right there. The mother of a 4-year-old, Mirza took her time returning to the Tour, following a difficult pregnancy. She may have gained weight, but she was comfortable in her skin.
Mirza doesn’t give off positive vibes, she’s the positive vibe. It reflects in the way she practices her barn-door-breaking style of tennis. She doesn’t retreat, she comes at the opposition. And this week, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis championship, she’ll do it for the last time as a pro athlete.
