She
started practicing under CK Bhupati, India's
top tennis player Mahesh Bhupati's father.
She learnt the professional game at Sinnet
Tennis Academy in Secunderabad before moving
to Ace Tennis Academy in the USA. Now she
is managed by Mahesh Bhupati's company Global
Sports and has a specialist advisor Bob Brett
who was Boris Becker's coach earlier.
Sania played her first international tournament
in 1999 when she represented India at the
World Junior Championship at Jakarta. Mirza's
big boost came in 2002 when Paes decided to
take her as his mixed doubles partner at the
Asian Games. The duo went on to claim the
bronze medal. The rise has been steady since
then. In 2003, Sania at 16years did India
proud by becoming the youngest and first ever
Indian to figure in the main draw of the girls'
doubles junior Wimbledon tennis championship
and winning the Grand Slam title. Sania partnered
13-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova and defeated
Katerina Bohmova of the Czech Republic and
Michaela Krajicek of the Netherlands 3-6,
6-2, 6-3. It was after a long haul of 51 years
that an Indian girl figured again in the final
of a Grand Slam, the last being Rita Dabur,
who had finished runner-up in the singles
event in 1952.
A winner of 21 International Tennis Federation
(ITF) titles, Sania won over Petra Mandula
of Hungary defeating her 6-2, 6-1 in the second
round of the women's singles at the Australian
Open grand slam. With this victory, she has
become the first Indian woman to reach the
third round of a Grand Slam event. Sania Mirza
outlasted the Ukraine's Alonya Bondarenko
to win the Open WTA tour event in her native
town Hyderabad and became the youngest and
first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour title.
This 18-year-old girl became the brand ambassador
of Lotto Sports Italia and the company said
that it would soon launch a signature line
series. With its launch, Sania would become
only the fourth player after Andre Agassi
of USA, Germany's Steffi Graf and Stephen
Edberg of Sweden to have a signature line
of her own.
Sania, is now ranked 77 in her career-high
singles after her exploits in the Dubai Open.
Mirza's powerful forehand strokes, confidence
and positive attitude combined with good looks
and charm have floored Indians and attracted
sponsors in hordes..She lives with her parents
and her little sister Anum in the posh suburbs
of jubily hills.Hyderabad.Mirza ,who idolises
German tennis great Steffi Graf,has dreams
of being the WIMBLEDON SINGLES CHAMPION.
