Sania Mirza believes she was destined to trigger a change which led India's women athletes to believe in themselvesMELBOURNE: Sania Mirza said her piece at the Australian Open, her final Grand Slam. On the very stage where a girl from Hyderabad with a powerful shot and an overpowering personality, carrying the weight of a nation, refused to blink, she finally let the tears flow.
At 36, mother of four-year-old Izhaan, she conceded that while being extremely emotional at the moment, when things were more settled she needed to find her calm.
Excerpts from an interview:How has tennis shaped you as a person?Tennis has made me a fighter. It has made me believe anything is possible if you give yourself the best chance. That's what sport does, it doesn't matter what level you play at, you don't have to be No. 1. If you play sports, you'll know that if you give your best and even if you lose, you can always come back the next day. That's the same in life as well, no matter how many times life knocks you down, in different ways, you know that you can fight.
Do you feel that you were ahead of your time in a way?God has perfect timing. You are put in this world for a reason. I was in the public eye, in the media glare, at the age of 16. I was here to make that shift, to start that change in women athletes believing in themselves, holding their own, having an opinion, taking on whoever came their way. I played my part in doing that and in the process if you are judged for it, in a good or bad way, that's just part of your journey. When I was in the public gaze at 16, I was meant to be there, to start that change. Today you see women athletes from our part of the world speak up for themselves, whether that be in the way they dress or speak. That's important for an equal world eventually.
Would you call yourself a thinker?I'm a huge thinker. I think I'm an insomniac only because I think so much. I think when I'm alone, I think at night, I reflect on a lot of things. I reach decisions after thinking through stuff many times. I reach conclusions on the way I feel only after I put a lot of thought into it. I used to be an impulsive person, but that changed as I grew older.
Can you talk about the great understanding a top doubles combination must always have?It is great to have this other person who complements your tennis and hides your weakness and vice-versa. It was about finding that right person, that's how great partnerships are formed. It was great to have that feeling with Martina (Hingis), where we were invincible for a year and a half. That doesn't happen for many players, where you are number one in the world, but so far nobody is even coming close to beating you.
Sania Mirza's Grand Slam titles
Was there a particular moment when you felt, this is it, I love the big stage, the big points, the pressure?I don't think there was a particular moment, I knew from a young age that I liked playing on the big stage. As a kid, I was a topper, a 95-plus student. I knew the answer to every single question the teacher would ask, but I never put my hand up because I didn't want the attention. The mental shift happened after I won junior Wimbledon (girls doubles title), I was driving in this open-top bus, that was my first realization that I would have to be able to handle the attention. I was scared to be the girl who knew the answer in school because I felt people would turn and look at me.
I was put here for a reason much larger than just to win tennis matches, while that's part of my job, it's not my only thing. I ask myself why I was put in this position, why is it that I have 30-40 million people on my social media page? Why do they follow me? What do they want from me? It can't just be about looking good and winning a tennis match.
You have to stand up for what you believe, otherwise you are not doing justice to the power you have been given.
The nature of your job is such that you've virtually been a single mother, raising Izhaan...I don't talk to him like he's a child because I feel he's a lot more mature than your average four-year-old. He thinks about stuff and asks questions. If you say no to him he wants to know why. I believe in the kind of parenting where you give your child choices, you cannot force them to do anything. Every generation has a different way of parenting. With the help of my therapist, I try to be the best mother I can be.