Saniastorm

It may have seemed bizarre to most, the prize distribution ceremony beginning with the winner’s family and friends being felicitated. N...

It may have seemed bizarre to most, the prize distribution ceremony beginning with the winner’s family and friends being felicitated. Not quite Centre Court. Yet if there was one factor apart from her own will power and talent that today made Sania Mirza the first Indian ever to win a WTA title, it was the role played by those closest to her.

For one week, Team Sania — parents Imran and Naseem, sister Anam, close friend Sabah Azmi and mentors Krishna and Mahesh Bhupathi — acted as a support group in every sense of the word, from pre-match preparations to post-win celebrations.

Anam says her own day today began with just one thought: Don’t let her get injured. Then the family threw a protective ring around the 18-year-old, cracking jokes, dancing to music, anything to keep her mind off the match, keep the tension away.

Anam came up with this winning line: Hindustan ki beti, tennis beauty, dushmano ko peeti, hamesha jiti. That, she said, calmed her sister down.

That’s why every time she fluffed a point, or felt a twinge in her ankle, or saw herself slipping down into a position beyond salvage, Sania looked up to one part of the stands, made the connection and infused the positive vibes.

This past week has been unusual experience for both sides. Sania doesn’t usually have an entourage — her mother is her regular companion on tour — and Team Sania doesn’t often see her playing at home.

Before the final, this reporter asked Sania what winning would mean to her. Her eyes lit up as she replied: ‘‘You’ve got all of these people around you, people you yearn to have every time you play.’’

Story continues below this ad

Little things meant a lot. The ‘‘S-a-n-I-a, S-a-n-I-a’’ chant that Anam started, for example. Does it distract the player? ‘‘I think of it purely in terms of the love she’s expressing’’, says Sania.

In the match against Zie Zheng, Anam and her merry gang single-handed sparked Sania’s revival with a huge cheer during breaks. And there was one moment today that summed up the inspirational powers. In the ninth game of the third set, Sania two points away from the title, there was one moment of hushed silence. Out cried this voice: ‘‘You can do it, Sania.’’ Sania’s forehand winner left her opponent struggling, and herself a point away from history.

‘‘She doesn’t have too many friends’’, says classmate Sabah whose ritual is a daily call to help Sania relax. ‘‘Today I suggested she pray and go out with a positive attitude…she’s tough when it comes to anything that goes against her in a match.’’ Mother Naseem shouts the occasional ‘‘Come on, you can do it…Fight!’’

‘‘You need that type of support’’, says close friend and guide Mahesh Bhupathi. ‘‘Look at…the tennis she’s played this week…anyone anywhere would have supported her.’’