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For months, Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has been consciously avoiding the desi media. The fear of being misquoted has perhaps been weighing on her mind more than the forehands and backhands that she faces on the court.

New Delhi:The Hyderabad star was in the Capital for a day enroute Seoul, where she will be playing for the country in the Fed Cup.

Injuries have been haunting you for sometime now. What is the problem?

If you go to any big tournament, there’s a long waiting list to meet the physio. Injuries are part and parcel of a player’s career, and one has to learn how best to deal with it.

Do you think all the hard work you have put in on fitness is helping you?

For almost four months I had Jade Hottes from Australia helping me out with my workout, fitness and gym regime. It has helped a lot. Right now, I am coping with a wrist and elbow injury. I also have a hyperextension in my back. So, after the Fed Cup, I will take a break.

Are you worried about the fall in ranking? Of late, you have improved a lot in doubles, though…

I am not at all worried. I’ve always believed in doing my best. My doubles performances of late have come along well, even though I still don’t have a regular partner. The doubles game had helped me improve my singles game as well.

What kind of a motivation is it when you play for the country?

I am proud of being an Indian and I love playing for India. I am injured, but I’m still willing to take the risk and play this week for the country.

Life must be hectic. You’re travelling from one country to another…

It’s part of my career, and I cannot complain. At any given point of time my father or mother is travelling with me.

How is it to be working with different coaches?

It’s something I have been through since my younger days. Asif Ismail will be helping me for six week. Let’s see how it comes along.

Any specific goals for 2006?

I want to play consistent tennis and improve steadily.

New Delhi: Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi will launch India’s Fed Cup campaign in the Asia-Oceania zonal qualifying tie in Seoul, Korea, starting on Wednesday.

India takes on Philippines in its opening match and follows it up with matches against Chinese Taipei on Thursday and New Zealand on Friday in Pool `B’. Against Philippines, world number 180 Shikha Uberoi will play the opening singles against 16-year old Denise Dy, ranked 1,112. Sania, India’s number one player with a world ranking of 40, faces the 673rd ranked Czarina-Mae Arevalo in the second singles.

Match practice

Coach and captain Enrico Piperno said he chose to play Sania, who is carrying injuries to her wrist and elbow in the serving arm besides an hyperextension of the lower back, so as to give her some valuable match practice ahead of the crucial encounter against Chinese Taipei.

“Ideally I would have liked not to play Sania against Philippines, but she has not played a match in the last 10 days,” Piperno told PTI from Seoul. “Thursday’s tie against Chinese Taipei is the key because they have two top-200 players. So I told Sania that it would be better for her to get some match practice.”

Host Korea, Australia and Uzbekistan make up Pool `A’. The best teams from the two pools will play in the final on Saturday, the winner of which qualifies for the World Group 2 play-off in July this year.The 19-year-old Sania had said before leaving for Korea that she was playing against doctor’s advice because she had missed the action last year due to an ankle injury, and would opt out only if the pain in her back was unbearable.

Absolutely fine

“She (Sania) is absolutely fine. She is feeling no pain. Her wrist is a bit sore, but that is not a major concern,” the captain said.

Piperno said he would play Ankita Bhambri and Isha Lakhani in the doubles if the tie (against Philippines) was already decided.

The team reached Seoul on Monday and had had two vigorous practice sessions so far, he said. “It has been windy and cold out here. Shikha had arrived here five days ago and she has had some solid practice,” Piperno said.

Sania Mirza has dropped three spots to 40th in the latest WTA rankings issued on Monday.

The Indian ace, who left to participate in the Federation Cup Asia-Oceania zonal qualifying tie to be held in Seoul, Korea, from April 19 to 22, has 516.75 ranking points to remain the highest ranked Indian in the WTA circuit.

Sania has shown little improvement in her rankings this year, which has not seen her go beyond the third round of any singles competition played so far.

Her only major achievement this year has been a doubles title at tier-III Bangalore Open and reaching the doubles finals at the tier-II Bausch and Laumb Championship at Amelia Islands, Florida.

The WTA Newcomer of the Year is also battling injuries, which have hampered her progress and the Hyderabadi teenager has admitted that she would go in to the Federation Cup tie against her doctor’s advice.

The other Indians on the list include US-based Shikha Uberoi (150) at 183rd spot followed way down by Ankita Bhambri (60.25) at 338.

Isha Lakhani (50.50) and veteran Rushmi Chakravarthi (49.75) are at 364th and 367th respectively and Sanaa Bhambri (33.25) is at 458.

French Amelie Mauresmo (3511) continues to lead the pack with Belgian Kim Clijsters (2941) at the second spot.

Russian Maria Sharapova (2753) has overtaken Kim’s compatriot Justin Henin-Hardenne (2693) at the third spot.”

“Injuries are part and parcel of tennis pro’s career. And Sania Mirza is fully aware that cent per cent fitness is almost unachievable on the WTA Tour where one is playing so many weeks, jet-setting to different parts of the globe.

Sania was in the Capital on Sunday for just a day and then left with the Fed Cup squad for Seoul, where India compete next week in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group I. It was Sania who lifted India four years back from Group II into Group I, so she knows what is expected of her.

The 19-year-old Hyderabad girl looks athletic and fit, all a result of the Australian trainer who was with her for over four months. ‘Yes, Jade Hottes helped me out and it’s been good,’ said Sania. Jade was a football trainer in Australia and knew the regimen for Sania had to be a bit different. For someone who has been through injuries, keeping her fit was the main task.

One look at Sania and you can be sure there’s no flab. Maybe, if the injuries go away once and for all, she will be a stronger player. But the improvement is already there to be seen.

Her serve, considered the weakest part, has got better. Match stats in tournaments say her first serve percentage has gone up and there can be further improvement.

And at the fore court as well, Sania has shown she is no bunny. ‘It’s not as if I have a regular doubles partner now. I have played with different partners since most of them sign up at the start of the year,’ said Sania. Nevertheless, her doubles ranking has improved drastically (40 as of this week) which means she can now hope for some solid players to be pairing with her in Grand Slams.

Fed Cup apart, the bigger challenges lie ahead in the WTA Tour for Sania. ‘I am taking a two-week break after the Fed Cup. After that, I will go into the clay court season,’ says Sania. The plan is to be in two clay events in Rome and Turkey before the French Open.

But considering that clay is not her favourite surface, one must wait for perhaps the grass-court season.

Starting from the French Open till the end of Wimbledon – six weeks – Sania will have former National champion and Davis Cupper Asif Ismail helping her out. In effect, that means there will be no John Farrington, a coach who has worked with her in recent months.

When Sania played in Hong Kong recently, she had taken some help from Asif Ismail. And for a man who had a big serve in his playing days, more than tinkering withher technique, Asif would be a good hitting partner.

Certainly, at a time when we are obsessed with foreign coaches in almost any sport, Sania’s decision to take help from an Indian does come as a pleasant surprise.”

Sania confident of good performance

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza stroked with confidence and spoke sincerely about pulling her weight for the team’s cause, before catching the flight along with the Indian team for the Asia-Oceania Group I Fed Cup tennis tournament to be held in Seoul from April 19 to 22.

Though she has been troubled by a string of injuries, with the wrist problem being the worst, the 19-year-old Sania made sure that she would be available for National duty by cutting short her commitments on the professional tour by a week.

“We will be seeded second on the basis of the rankings, and we are going with a good team. We will try our best,” said Sania after having a rigorous work-out with Ankita Bhambri and Isha Lakhani on Saturday.

Injury not serious

“The injuries are not that serious. I need to have three or four weeks of rest. In fact, the doctor has asked me not to play this week. Since I didn’t play last year, a lot of people want me to play. I am planning to take four weeks off the tour after the Fed Cup. In the worst scenario, I may go directly to the French Open,” said Sania.

The latest problem has been her back, as she has been plagued by a painful muscle spasm, which in fact forced her to pull out of the tournament in Charleston this week.

“We should all pray that it doesn’t crop up next week,” said Sania.

Inadequate rest

The Hyderabad girl, ranked in the top-40 in both singles and doubles at the moment, did say that the few days of rest were inadequate. “I have held on for six weeks on the U.S. circuit, and hopefully will do so for one more week,” she said.

Sania emphasised that as athletes, players were taking risk all the time, and it was a question of taking the bigger risks.

Talking about the other teams in the fray, Sania said that every team had at least one good player and the Indians would need to focus on their own game rather than worry about the opponents.

Pleased with run

in doubles

Sania was obviously pleased with her good run in the doubles and said that it would be decisive as is the case generally in team competition.

“Hopefully we will finish it off in singles itself, and won’t need to get to the doubles,” she said with optimism.

Summing up the season, Sania was categorical that it was only four months and she had done fairly well.

“I have jumped a lot in doubles and thatgives confidence. I keep improving my game and my volleying has improved. In singles, it is a matter of getting a few wins together. There will be a lot of first rounds and some finals. We need not be depressed, but need to be optimistic,” she observed.

Captain Enrico Piperno said that he was pretty pleased with the way Sania was hitting the ball.

“I am surprised that she has not won many singles matches this season. Maybe, she has preserved them for this week. If she plays the way she is hitting today, she is going to run over them. It is good that we don’t have China in the group. We have a great chance. Australia is beatable. We have to play badly to lose to anybody,” said Piperno, even as he admitted that he would have loved to have the tournament in India as was the case in the last two years.

Slow courts an advantage

“There are seven teams, and I hope we are in the smaller group, as it would help Sania. The courts will be slow and it will be to our advantage,” said Piperno.

The second member of the team, Shikha Uberoi had reached Seoul directly from the U.S. and has been practising there from Thursday.

Australia, Chinese Taipei, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines and Uzbekistan are the other teams. The top teams from the two groups meet in the final and the winner will make it to the World Group II play-off to be played in July.

NEW DELHI: Having missed out on last year's action, Sania Mirza is braving multiple injuries to spearhead India's campaign in the Fed Cup women's team tennis competition.

Sania said that despite some serious injury concerns and doctor's advice to not play, she was keen to represent India in the Asia-Oceania zonal qualifying tie to be held in Seoul, Korea, from April 19 to 22.

"As an athlete, I am always taking risk. Sometimes you do have to take risk, and this is going to be a bigger risk," the 19-year old said after a practice session with her teammates Ankita Bhambri and Isha Lakhani at the R K Khanna stadium.

Sania has injuries to her wrist and elbow, both of the serving right arm, and hyper-extension of the lower back.

She was part of the team but did not play due to an ankle injury when the tie was held in Delhi last year.

"I am going to stop for three to four weeks after this. In fact, the doctor told me not to play even this week. But then I did not play last year, so I want to play this time," the
Hyderabadi girl said.

"There are three injuries. Each one is worse than the other. The wrist (injury) is the most serious," she said.

"The back is a muscle spasm. It is not a long term problem, not an injury that needs an operation, but is very painful at the moment.

"It catches me occasionally, hopefully I can stay free of it the coming week."

Asked how far she would go to play in the event despite the risk, Sania said she would not play "only if the pain was
unbearable."

"Not feeling much pain (at the moment). We will see how I feel when I get there," she said.

The trio was put through an intense practice session on the centre court by captain and coach Enrico Piperno.

Shikha Uberoi, the other member of the team has been practising for a week.

Australia, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Philippines, Uzbekistan and hosts Korea are the other six teams in the fray.

The teams will be divided into two pools of three and four, with the top teams from either pool playing the final on Saturday. The winner qualify for a World Group 2 play-off in July.

Piperno said Sania's presence has boosted India's chances of winning the zonal competition.

"I wish last year was this year," Piperno said.

"I would have loved to play in India with this team, but you can't have it both ways.

"Without China, we have a great chance. With Sania in, we are better than the rest."

Piperno hoped India are placed in the smaller group, "so that Sania has less load to carry," but was confident about the Indian star's form.

"I haven't seen her hit the ball so well before. I am surprised she has not won a tournament in the US (on the WTA Tour)," he said.

Sania said, "doubles is decisive in team tennis, but hopefully it doesn't get that far. I hope we can finish off the games with the singles.

"If we go by rankings, we are the second seeds but it is going to be tough."

Sania, the first Indian to win a WTA Tour title pulled out of the event in Charleston, USA, for some much needed rest.

"I had four days of rest but everyone knows four days or two weeks is not going to help. For proper rest, you need three and a half or four weeks. I have pulled six weeks, one more to go," she said.

Asked how big a risk she was taking, "it is not that a bone is going to break. Hopefully that doesn't happen."

She also denied that her singles performance this season has not been satisfactory in comparison to her doubles show.

"Singles is not going into the quarters and semis but I have maintained my ranking, so it is not that bad," she said.

"Of course, doubles has seen a huge jump (upto 40th in world rankings) and that gives a lot of confidence. And that is why I am playing doubles.

"But I am still playing well in singles. It is a matter of getting a few wins together. I don't want to sit and be depressed about it. I am very optimistic."