‘No one is unbeatable’

“I’ve played a few big names,” says Sania whose ranking has risen 102 palces since she met the younger Williams.

Sania’s confidence stems from the fact that the match is between ‘two in-and-out players.’ Both Mirza and Williams have recently come out of injuries and have shown ample signs of proper recovery.

Mirza and coach John Farrington believe she does not need to change her game, although Williams might dictate the course of events.

This comes from the self-belief that she has attained over the last year, playing higher-ranked players. She now believes that it all boils down to going out and playing. Sania has given top-10 players hard times in the past (ask Svetlana kuznetsova), and she says there is no reason she cannot put up a fight against Williams.

Farrignton feels service will be the key. “How Sania handles it would determine the course of the match.”

“Getting in focus early” says Farrington, “is important to negotiate players of Venus’s calibre, who are experienced and can pull the match away even before blinking. Sania can also draw inspiration from compatriot Shikha Uberoi who stretched Venus in a 5-7, 1-6 loss last year.