Sania Mirza: The Teen Sensation Sania Mirza, the sensational Indian tennis player was born on November 15, 1986 in Mumbai. She was brought up in Hyderabad. Her father, Imran Mirza, started coaching her for tennis when she was just six years old. Regular practice and good coaching enabled her to turn professional in 2003.
Sania is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India. She has a career high ranking of 27 in singles matches and 18 in doubles matches. The WTA rankings compiled on January 7, 2008 placed her in 31st rank in the Singles category and 18th in the Doubles category.
Sania's career started off on a fast lane when she bagged the Doubles championship award at the Pakistan International G5 tournament by teaming up with Nida Waseem of Pakistan. After that her success drive continued with Mali Milk Cup, 21st Thailand Open G2 in Mar 2001, in which she became the Singles Quarter-finalist. She was also the Doubles Winner (with Wana Mrazovic of Yugoslavia) and the Singles Finalist at the Smash Tennis International G4 in July 2001. Her high-flying career continued in Jul 2002 when she became the Singles Winner and also the Doubles Winner (with Isha Lakhani of India) at the Pretoria University, ITF G2. Her entry in the ITF G1 circuit was set off by her being the Apr 2003 G18 Doubles Winner (with Sanaa Bhambri of India) at the Shuzo Challenge Japan Open at Nagoya, Japan. Her success in the Singles circuit kicked off in February 2005 when she won the Women's Singles Trophy at Hyderabad Open 2005, under WTA Tier IV circuit.
Sania has brought much glamour to the tennis circuit in India, not only through her flashy playing style but also with her sheer sportsmanship, both in and out of court. She prefers taking on challengers on Hard Courts, where her playing style matches the high bounce attained by the ball in courts of that type. She enjoys listening to Rap and Hindi remixes of earlier released songs. Sania adores Steffi Graff as her idol. She says that she is greatly influenced by Graff's ability to play effectively even when under pressure and also by her sporting nature, both in court and out of it. Sania enjoys swimming and music as her hobbies, and enjoys both in her leisure.
This young lady is sure to lead Indian tennis in the years ahead with a powerful play and attitude to match.
