The Mirza Masterplan

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For a decade and more, a billion heartbeats skipped while watching Sachin Tendulkar8217;s lofted drives, bidding them to clear the boundary line. The entire population has now shifted its collective anxiety to a 19-year-old8217;s groundstrokes, begging them to stay inside the baseline.

Sania Mirza8217;s breakthrough year in 2005 gained the girl and her game many admirers last year. But those marquee faceoffs at Grand Slams against Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova and a sensational victory over a reigning US Open champion at Dubai also tagged her with a million expectations and a few interesting forecasts.

8216;8216;Want nothing more than wanting more,8217;8217; smiles Vijay Amritraj, summing up the national mood these days when Mirza takes to the court. The pleasing problem, he says, is that she has managed so much of what was termed improbable, that Indians cannot help but asking for better and more. But a sense of self-disciplined restraint has accompanied every achievement, pegging down every famous Mirza win in 2005 to just another passing landmark. And continuing in the same vein, Amritraj refuses to assign a ranking-bracket for the following year. 8216;8216;It is entirely a personal call, and it is tough to set goals for another person be it Top 20, Top 10 or Top 100. They were different for me when I played, and varied altogether when the two Krishnans did, so it is up to Sania and her coach to decide what she wants,8217;8217; says Amritraj.

8216;8216;She has the potential 8211; the attitude and commitment to reach the very top, but how she goes about it, is entirely upto her,8217;8217; Amritraj adds. 8216;8216;She needs to live up to her own expectations, not people8217;s.8217;8217;

Describing her as a no-nonsense player, who doesn8217;t compromise on her game and can lend an incredible pace to her shots, Amritraj believes that Mirza would rather not change anything from 2005. 8216;8216;I wouldn8217;t recommend her to do anything differently in 2006 than what she did in 2005 8212; definitely not change those backhands and forehands.8217;8217;

It8217;s a view that finds resonance with father and first coach Imran Mirza. 8216;8216;She plays the high-risk game and goes for broke, there is no point suppressing that aggression, and making her a strategic player,8217;8217; he says.

THE GREAT DIVIDEbetween Sania and her sisters
8216;8216;I guess because I8217;m lucky,8217;8217; Sania Mirza recently said, when a scribe almost demanded to know why she received the perfect support 8212; financial and technical at the right age, while others didn8217;t. She could have well said 8216;8216;I guess because I8217;m good8217;8217; but propriety got the better of her. It would be naive, though, to go by Miss Mirza8217;s verdict and assume that luck separates her from so many others.
NO FEARS: Former Davis Cupper Gaurav Natekar, hits the nail on the head when he says that Sania8217;s mental toughness has helped her go places. 8216;8216;She has no fear, and loves playing on the big stage; something that most Indians don8217;t like to do or can8217;t do,8217;8217; he says.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: Vijay Amritraj, who watched a few Indians at the Bangalore Open, points to the sheer inability of many of them to match the physical game of opponents. 8216;8216;Sania is a very strong and that is where she has the edge. Other need to build on the physical game.8217;8217;
HARD WORKING: Big-match temperament and the platform to match wits against Tour regulars can only come after playing more tournaments. 8216;8216;Players like Isha may not be as talented as some others, but can make up for it with her hard work. But Ankita, Isha and some others need to find sponsors, play the big tournaments in the next 18-20 months. Time is running out,8217;8217; Natekar says. 8212; S.N.

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8216;She obviously needs to cut down on her errors, but doesn8217;t have to cut back on her blitzy style. The serve, as much a subject of debate, has been repaired over the winter, under the supervision of Tony Roche, unarguably the finest brain in tennis, and looks more compact. 8216;8216;It will take time to fully gain force,8217;8217; Mirza explains, 8216;8216;after all it is different from what she was doing for the past 12 years.8217;8217;

Team Sania, comprising traveling coach John Farrington, Mirza8217;s mentors at Globosport and even her family members, have been drilling in the point that rankings don8217;t follow a geometric progression. 8216;8216;That she made it into the 308217;s in a year doesn8217;t mean she will crack into the Top-20 or 10 in the next. On the Tour, everyone from rank 11-100 are at the same level, so the goal is to stay in the Top-508217;s and stay there strongly.8217;8217;

Sania recently dropped seven places in the rankings, but Vijay Amritraj believes that nitpicking on every weekly activity, sulking over every dip and celebrating every rise, is a waste of time. 8216;8216;You need to assess a player over a season not one or two rounds,8217;8217; he says.

The one department where both Amritraj and Mirza agree Sania can improve upon is her fitness. 8216;8216;She needs to stay injury-free and keep adding to the physical power ,8217;8217; Amritraj stresses.

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Coach Farrington is looking at the overall improvement in her game that his sturdier ward might achieve. 8216;8216;Once she becomes physically stronger, her positioning on court will be better and she will get the reach,8217;8217; he says.

Amritraj, meanwhile lauds Mirza8217;s strong comeback in doubles at Bangalore when she won two games straight in the company of Liezel Huber. 8216;8216;She handles bad days well, and there will be both good days and bad at that level. Her chin8217;s up and I liked her attitude fighting it out in the doubles after what happened in the singles,8217;8217; he says.

The wishlist for 2006 from the legend and the father strikes the same chord. 8216;8216;Like every other Indian, I want to enjoy watching her play in 2006, like I did in 20058217;8217;, says Amritraj. And Imran adds: 8216;8216;As a father, I8217;ve always told Sania to play on till she enjoys herself out there. The day she stops liking it, she should pack her bags.8217;8217;