Sania Mirza has already achieved celebrity status in India. An advertisers’ dream with her trendy sunglasses and multiple earrings, she has been given her own security guards to stop her being mobbed by over-enthusiastic fans. Now, the 18-year-old Mirza is making history as the first Indian woman to get a direct entry into a grand slam singles draw. She goes into the draw for next week’s French Open at a career-high position of 72 in the WTA world list, having been ranked just 206th at the end of last year.

The confident Mirza has become the toast of India, rivalling the country’s top cricketers in the affections of sports fans. Her impressive run began as a wild card at the Australian Open, where she became the first Indian woman to reach a grand slam singles third round before she ran into eventual champion Serena Williams.

She went on to capture the first WTA tour title by an Indian before adoring home fans in the southern city of Hyderabad, sending millions of Indians into frenzied celebrations. A stunning second-round victory over US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova followed at the Dubai Open in March, when she reeled off seven straight games after a slow start. Mirza, who idolises German tennis great Steffi Graf, has drawn so much attention that the regional government in Hyderabad has provided her with personal bodyguards.

Mirza is unfazed by all the attention. Her biggest concerns are an ankle injury which sidelined her in mid-March, and her distaste for the Parisian red clay. She only recently resumed training with a stint under respected coach Bob Brett in Italy. Her hopes for match practice on clay were dented with defeat in the qualifiers of this week’s Strasbourg international tournament in France. I’ve been doing a lot of strengthening exercises. The ankle is still a bit tender but I don’t think it is that bad any more,» Mirza told Reuters from Strasbourg. “It’s very tough to be without tennis for more than six weeks and come back.”

She admitted that expectations on her were growing. “I guess the way people look at me now will be different but I still have to go out there and prove myself.” Daughter of a Hyderabad-based builder, Mirza showed early promise in tennis after a switch from swimming as a six-year-old. Her natural forehand and all-out aggression are unusual among Indian women tennis players who have in the past displayed a tendency for soft serves and tame baseline rallies. With her ankle still on the mend, Mirza may find the going tough at the French Open.

<I>Source: Times of India</I>