Stubborn, steadfast, strong-willed, these are words that come to mind when one thinks of Sania Mirza. Be it on the tennis court or off it, the Hyderabadi has been living those qualities up, undaunted by the flak that keeps flying in her face. Just when she is about to be written off, she would script a remarkable win. From the easy going girl who giggled a lot to being tough as nails, this 25-year-old has come a long way.

The recent French Open mixed doubles crown with Mahesh Bhupathi, which took her title tally to 16, was the latest salvo from Sania the soldier, who refuses to leave the trench. “I believe in myself and just carry on,” she says summing up her ‘special Slam’ victory after being beaten in the first round of the women’s doubles. “I think that’s the beauty of sport — that you are down at one point and then work harder to go on and win a big tournament. Every tennis player dreams of winning a Grand Slam title and it doesn’t get bigger than this.”

Probed further, she divulges her approach. “As sportspersons we take the wins as well as the losses differently. We always look to take losses in our stride and try to work harder and come back. Mahesh too had a disappointing start to the tournament (he lost in the men’s doubles first round) but our team of coaches, my dad; they all motivated us and kept us positive.”

Overcoming adversity has now become a habit for Sania. Injuries to her wrist and knee which required surgeries over the last two years pushed her on to the backfoot but could not keep her down. “It’s been very tough, I spent more time at the hospitals than on tennis court and must say the visits and the rehabilitation process have been painful. Tennis was not on my mind for many months and I didn’t even know if I would ever be able to hold a racquet. Forget tennis, my wrist was so bad that there were times when I could not even eat food. So to win a Slam after my third surgery is a fantastic feeling,” she says.

Family support
Sania acknowledges motivational help from the family during the turbulence. “My parents have been so supportive, have always taught me to be mentally very strong and encouraged me to keep going despite the injuries, especially after the knee surgery last year. And here I am, winning a Slam six-seven months on.”

Husband and international cricketer Shoaib Malik is another source of comfort for Sania. “Being a sportsperson himself, Shoaib understands the demanding schedules very well. It’s not easy with so much travel and being away from the family involved but he understands the situations perfectly and is one of the reasons I have continued playing tennis — I had thought tennis was over for me, maybe six months after our marriage. But he has encouraged me a lot to play. Shoaib has been a great husband,” she says.

Olympics on mind
Currently, Sania is in Birmingham playing the AEGON Classic tournament in preparation for Wimbledon, which begins later this month. However, she has one eye on the Olympics starting next month. Having missed the qualifying cut of being in the World top 10 by two places, she is now banking on a wild card for the quadrennial event. “The Olympics are always special and were at the back of our minds at the start of this season. The All India Tennis Association is trying its best to get a wild card entry. Hopefully, we can get there and then go all out for a medal,” she says.

That the tennis event of the 2012 Games will be held at Wimbledon is added inspiration. “Wimbledon has always been a special place, it was there that I made my mark as a tennis player (in 2001 when she won the girls doubles title)… and grass suits my style of play very well.”

Should she make the Olympics, Sania says she would prefer Mahesh Bhupathi as her mixed doubles partner to Leander Paes. “I have been playing with Mahesh and doing well too. Personally we would like to play together but it is not in our control. It’s up to the selection committee of the All India Tennis Association, who would want to put the best team forward.”

She feels her game does not quite complement Leander’s now. “I have played and won medals at the 2002 as well as 2006 Asian Games with Leander but later at the 2010 Commonwealth Games it didn’t go that well for us. I think one of the reasons was because we both are forehand court players,” she says.

It’s another day, another challenge. Bring it on, says Sania.