Ever since her breakthrough year in 2005, adulation and criticism have been heaped on Sania Mirza in equal measure but the tennis ace has learnt to take both in her stride and move forward.
Sania has single handedly put India on the map of women's tennis world. And once again she would be India's lone challenge in the singles when the Australian Open begins tomorrow.
Yet, when her performance at Grand Slams is discussed, it becomes a matter of debate.
The gritty Hyderabadi says she has always given it her all whenever she has stepped on the court and instead of lamenting on the not so good results, she prefers to move ahead.
"The fact that I have already competed in 18 Grand Slams since my debut is proof enough for me, personally, that I am not a one season wonder. I have already won 20 singles matches in Grand Slams at the professional level and wins are not easy to come by at that level. A sportsman has to keep moving on. We cannot afford to reminisce and feel dejected," she said in an interview.
Sania also her hunger for success is far from satiated but surviving in the top-100 is no mean achievement.
"One always aspires for more than what one achieves. But any professional tennis player, who has survived in the top-100 of the world for five consecutive years will agree that one needs a fair amount of consistency to achieve that," she said.
Sania has shown that on her day she can beat any player, yet victories against top ranked players have been only a few.
Recently Sania was quoted as saying in a report that inclusion of the mixed doubles event for the 2012 Olympics has put to halt her retirement plans. On being asked about that, she clarified that she has no immediate plans to quit game.
"I said that in jest more than anything else! I haven't thought of retirement yet but when I stop enjoying the game or when injuries force me, I will quit," she said.
Talking about her results against top players like Russia's Ana Chakvetadze and Italian Flavia Pennetta, she comes up with an interesting explanation.
"As a matter of fact, my head-to-head record with Flavia Pennetta is 2 wins out of 6 matches that we've played against each other and that isn't too bad against someone who has consistently been in the top-15 of the world."
