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Journalism of Courage
Minutes before the biggest match of her life, India’s teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza spoke to her father Imran and mother Naseem, seeking their blessings.
‘‘She was a little nervous and I told her the best thing was to minimise errors and get into rhythm early. I told her ‘we are praying for you’,’’ Imran told The Indian Express after the 18-year-old went down 1-6, 4-6 to World No 7 Serena Williams in the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
When the call came, the Mirzas, on Haj here, were travelling to Mina from Mecca to stone the three symbolic devils as part of the pilgrimage ritual.
‘‘Even if she went out of the Grand Slam, I am proud of her performance. She did not lose like other girls to Serena. She put up a good fight,’’ said Imran.
Sania had already made Indian tennis history before the match by the crossing the second round of a Grand Slam event.
‘‘I am happy Sania was not blown out of the court. She was playing the world’s best player. The reasonably good show will do a lot of good to her morale and career. She lost the first set tamely but pulled up in the second,’’ said Imran, who runs a construction company in Hyderabad.
Sania’s parents could not catch today’s match on TV but Imran said they were flooded with phone calls and SMS from friends and relatives, as the game was on, keeping them updated on almost every other point.
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‘After Irfan, Yousuf’
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• MECCA: The parents of cricket star Irfan Pathan, are also at Haj here. Mehboob Khan, father of the left-arm speedster, said he is praying for his other son Yousuf to get a place in Team India, too. Yousuf, an all-rounder, plays for the Baroda Ranji Trophy squad. Story continues below this ad |
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‘‘All these responses have made us proud. Our phones are still ringing,’’ said Imran, adding that he would soon speak to Sania. ‘‘I will tell her she has time on her side to excel. She is only 18 and has more years to work on her game,’’ said Imran.
Imran said they were in constant touch with Sania since arriving for the pilgrimage. ‘‘Frankly, we thought her tennis schedule was vacant by the time of this year and that is why we chose to perform the Haj,’’ said Imran.
‘‘Usually, my wife or I always accompany her to tournaments. We have never let her alone and she too looks for our company all the time,’’ said Imran, adding that they got her a tennis racquet when she was three. ‘‘She has never failed us since then.’’
