The Hindu : Sport : Forget the stardom, embrace the sweat

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Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006
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Forget the stardom, embrace the sweat

Sania must decide how desperately she aches for success, writes Rohit Brijnath

— Photo: AP

TIME TO TALK TOUGH: Sania Mirza has to take some hard decisions to put herself back on track.

Sometimes when Sania Mirza speaks, it's necessary to remember she's only a teenager. When she says the wrong word from her lips "can create a national crisis," let's be kind and say she's unaware of the conceit the phrase carries.

When she explains "in India, except for cricketers, the general public has little knowledge about other sports and you have to explain which discipline of sport you specialise in," let's assume she doesn't realise it sounds as if Indians have never seen a tennis player before her.

It's somewhat understandable if Sania occasionally misplaces her sense of proportion, because she exists in a world somewhat absent of any. At 19, after a single good year, she's been awarded the Padma Shri, met prime ministers, been on the cover of Time, and had effigies of herself burnt. It's hard for a teenager to keep perspective, though after a while youth no longer suffices as an excuse.

Fame can be annoying for Sania (pesky journos, limited privacy), but she also relishes its rewards. Showing up on newspaper front pages is a high, having sponsors chase you is a thrill. Sania deserves to enjoy it, while cognisant of the fact that if her tennis droops, so will her appeal.

Unfinished construction

Last year, by this time, Sania was ranked 34, this year she's 70; last year her win-loss till late September was 28-17, this year it's 13-20. Replicating a super first year was always unlikely, but it is no good Sania saying, "it is not humanly possible to repeat it year after year." After all, the essential challenge of sport is improvement. Admittedly, while she is a full-fledged celebrity, as a player she remains an unfinished construction.

It may not reflect in her results, but Sania has advanced as a player. As former Davis Cupper Asif Ismail, who worked with her for three months this year and calls her "a fast learner, a very nice person," says: "She has a better forehand, better backhand, better volley... but for the whole thing to click," for every refined element to fall into place, takes time.

But Sania also needs to make hard decisions. The first involves a coach. In less than two years, she's ricocheted between Bob Brett, Tony Roche, John Farrington, Ismail and now S. Narendranath. It makes for a lot of differing advice. She is reportedly comfortable with Narendranath, but more pertinent is whether he, a decent man, has the tools to tune her game, to drive her.

Some players don't lean heavily on coaches, some do. Some make do with a parent like Sharapova, others like Andy Murray pick thinkers like Brad Gilbert.

Go for the best

Either way, Sania should opt for the best, and her greatest advantage over the generation of Ismail, Leander Paes and Gaurav Natekar is that she can afford it. Being frugal now could be expensive later. Even though it meant going into debt, Vece Paes sent Leander to Gene Mayer at $1,000 a day. All sorts of prices must be paid for greatness.

But most of all, Sania must decide how desperately she aches for success. At 19, it is unfortunate there are whispers that she could do with another helping of desire, that her work ethic requires a nudge.

A fine young woman should know that there is only one hard road to glory and it's soaked in perspiration. She should know, too, that eventually no one remembers whose hand you shook or what you endorsed. Only how good a player you were.

Somewhere in her head hopefully a voice is insisting: forget the stardom, kid, embrace the sweat.

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