Salman Khan launches the autobiography of Sania Mirza
‘Ace Against Odds’ captures Sania’s inspiring journey to the top
It was during my stay on Road No. 12 Banjara Hills in Hyderabad around 2003, I come to know about Sania Mirza. In our small and narrow lane connecting to main road, I used to see a shiny green yellow mixed color small car almost every day.
On the back window shield of this car Sunil Gavaskar's signatures were inscribed. I asked one of my neighbor about owner of the car. Pet came the reply, do not you know your next door neighbor Sania Mirza. So my next building neighbor was ace tennis player Sania Mirza ! It was almost six months passed I did not see this girl, again told by other neighbors that she was playing European Circuit, Wimbledon and so many other championships, so how I could see her. In between I met her mother Nasrin as well as her younger sister Anam on many occasion though both of them were very private persons. mother was running a small printing outfit. Believe me, I could not meet her or see her in person despite of staying in next building for almost three years ! I could meet her in Bombay in 2008 in the sideline of one of the Nari Hira's Society Event. then only I was able to speak to her for twenty minutes to understand this so young and simple girl who despite of her modest family background made so big in tennis, a game of riches.
Multiple Grand Slam Champion and World No. 1 in women’s doubles, Sania Mirza is now a name synonymous with the sport she excels in. An inspiration for millions around the world, Sania’s achievements are the sort dreams are made of. Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan released the tennis star’s autobiography two days back at five star hotel The Leela Bombay.
Ace against Odds is the story of this most iconic Indian player who beat incredible odds to get to the top of her sport. Sania talks to Shivani Gupta, sports journalist in this book with candour about the hardships in her incredible journey, of the physical and emotional trauma caused by injuries and medical procedures, of the friends and partners who became her mainstay along with her family, of the pressures of constant public scrutiny and, not least, the politics and heartbreaks that inevitably accompany success.
Propelled into the big league at a very young age, Sania was aware about what she lacked and quickly learnt what she needed for sustaining herself on the tour. From becoming India's No.1 woman tennis player to being the World No.1 in the women's doubles with Swiss legend martina Hingis, controversy has dogged her career.
Sania is candid in her admissions and open to speak her mind, a virtue that still makes her a youth icon in a cricket-crazy country. Ushering in a renewed interest in tennis among aficionados and fans, Sania was instrumental is bringing in the crowds to tennis matches.
Learning early in life that grit, determination and hard work bring laurels, she quickly understood that people were uncompromising when it came to criticising icons -- may be a trait typical to a society short on tolerance and high on moralistic turpitude.
Her journey from a junior player to a Grand Slam winner is one strewn with pain and glory. Nagging injuries and the toll that the circuit took on her body forced her to quit the singles format in 2012.
The entry of Pakistani Cricket player Shoaib Malik into her life brought a certain changes and, of course, a section of media and some social media warriers painted her an anti-national for picking a Pakistani cricketer. She and her family were virtually under house arrest as the media invaded every bit of privacy the family had.
What followed next changed her life forever. This excerpt narrates this event:
"It would not be wrong to say that for almost two weeks the media went berserk. About two hundred newsmen armed with cameras and microphones, files and pens, camped outside our house and hounded every guest and family member as they entered or left. A dozen satellite vans were parked in the lane, beaming inconsequential footage of the house and the visitors. Cameras were fixed at all angles and were recording round the clock. Camera crews had bagged strategic positions on buildings around the house to gain a 360-degree perspective. If a curtain at a window moved even an inch, exposing one of my family members or me doing mundane chores in the house, some news channel thought it important to telecast the image to viewers with super-imaginative interpretations. It was totally bizarre and unexpected!
"On one of those days, amidst all the madness, my father got a frantic call from a relative who sounded hysterical. 'Is Sania wearing a green T-shirt?' he questioned. When my dad answered it in the affirmative, he almost screamed, 'Draw your curtains! There are cameras fixed on the next-door building that's under construction and news channels are showing her live right now!'
"I did not see sunlight for about ten days. All the windows, even the small vents in the bathrooms, had to be covered. Even the smallest of peepholes were being used by the media to beam images. Going out to the balcony for a breather was asking for trouble."
Thrust into the limelight, Sania found benign support from another Indian tennis ace and mixed double's partner, Mahesh Bhupathi. It was after consultations with him that Sania decided to skip a WTA tournament at Banglore.
What followed was a trial by the media on the reasons of her pull-out. It was during this period that WTA chief executive Larry Scott arranged a special conference with Ari Fleischer to give Sania tips to handle media. And it was during her interaction with Fleischer that she found out that he was the one who handled US President George Bush's poll campaign and later became the president's first press secretary !
But the important question remains, would a male Indian tennis star or for that matter any top male player in other sport has to go through such incongruous acrimony? Should the media not draw an ethical line?
During the launch ace Bollywood actor Salman Khan said “Sania has been an inspiration to a lot of young girls today. It’s her undying spirit with which she keeps going is what makes her special. She is launching her autobiography, it’s a special moment for her and I am glad to be a part if this.”
Adding about her autobiography Sania said “Ace Against the Odds’ is my story of an amazing journey and I am delighted to share it with the world. I feel specially honoured and grateful that my friend Salman took time out of his extremely busy schedule to officially launch my autobiography ”
The book is co-written by Sania’s father Imran Mirza and Shivani Gupta.
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