Why ‘SanTina’ is not a Fluke!

“Our fairy tale continues…”

Following the Australian Open victory, Martina Hingis chose these words when asked to describe her prodigious partnership with Sania Mirza. Needless to say, she said it all, she said it right!

There’s something really defining about this merger. It’s quick enough to draw attention, intriguing enough to watch, charismatic enough to enthrall, and mesmerizing enough to make people gasp for breath. It’s kind of like a modern-day fusion between old-school dexterity and new-age audacity.

It’s solid, it’s stellar, and it just works!

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have been through a lot in life. They’ve basked in the glory of eminence and have scuffled with the horrors of society. They’ve scaled the peaks of success and have struggled with the dooms of failure. They’ve learnt the meaning of the phrase “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” the hard way and have learnt to take things in their stride. Which is why when we combine the two, we get an impeccable combination that just cannot stop winning.

Till now, their staggering run includes a world record 36-match winning streak, has seen them win 12 titles (including 8 in a row), and has seen them bring home a hat-trick of Grand Slams. Compared to the 2014 season where each won just 3 titles with their respective partners, ‘SanTina’ indeed has enjoyed a fairy tale run.

However, with great power comes great responsibility!

While the exploits of Sania and Hingis have made them the top doubles pair in the world right now, the flip side states that the pair also has a bullseye on their heads as the prime target to take down. Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka did come close to ‘dethroning’ the Indo-Swiss duo but could not get the job done. In reality, though, it might be quite some time before someone actually breaches the defense.

It’s not that Sania and Hingis are unbeatable to such an extent that it will take someone pulling off a “Djoker” to beat them; it’s that they’re so unmatched in terms of conviction and self-belief that beating them right now is next to impossible. The aura that they possess is something that many have tried and failed to achieve and their unique ability to complete each other’s game is beyond legendary.

Sania has power, Hingis has finesse. Sania has a forehand, Hingis has a lob. Sania has charm, Hingis has grace. It all complements each other so well that the points just beg to be taken away. The chemistry that they share is appealingly pure and it shows not just when they play but when they talk as well.

Their philosophy is pretty simple. They come, they play, they win. Period! They keep it meek and rely on their instincts. Instincts so adept that one just can’t help admiring the genius in them. They win matches on the court and they win hearts off it. Purely because they are that damn good!

Haters will always try to find reasons to hate them, but they won’t find any. Adversaries will always try to find chinks in their armour, but they won’t find many. Critics will write nonsense just because they need something to do, however SanTina is like a force that will just keep rolling through!

People need to understand that SanTina is not a fluke. They’re not even close. They’re not even in the same room were fluke stays. Unless of course the definition of fluke is a group of individuals who exploit their talents to the best of their abilities in order to get aboard a juggernaut that just thunders through and tramples anything and everything in its path. Then maybe!

In reality tough, they’re just an awesome amalgamation of skill, flair and poise. For their good and for ours as well, let’s hope that no one comes even remotely close to derailing their winning bandwagon. They give us something pretty to watch and something pristine to follow. The tennis fraternity owes them big time for their contribution towards the sport.

Sania was recently conferred with the NDTV Sportsperson of the Year award where she said, “If in a billion people a few thousand don’t like you, it doesn’t matter.”

Game, set and match Mirza on that one.

My dream, as a sports enthusiast, is to have a society where people cherish the immense sacrifices that Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have made rather than just keeping talking about their past.

My dream, as a sports enthusiast, is to have a society where people respect Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis for what they have achieved rather than go out of their way to find flaws and bog them down.

And finally my dream, as a sports enthusiast, is to have a society where people feel proud of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis for their never-say-die attitude in life irrespective of their winning streak.

Maybe one day. Maybe someday!

Haters Going to Hate, Players Going to Play!

Sania Mirza just cannot stop winning. The past one year has been a testament of her talent and, keeping in mind the events that have rocked the tennis fraternity, if she was a game show host then she would by now be pointing towards a fanciful door on a pretense set shouting “all Sania haters, come on down.”

 She would be laying down the red carpet on the choppy Indian roads and be personally handing out “Who’s your daughter-in-law?” pamphlets to all those who doubted her and never believed that she could be where she is today – touching the pinnacles of success and that too with unmatched charisma!

Instead, Sania has let her racquet do all the talking, has made her country touch the heights of glory and is now almost on the verge of becoming the first ever Indian woman to scale the world no. 1 rank in tennis.

All this despite being looked down upon with judgmental eyes and being let down one too many times!

Don’t get me wrong but our country is never supportive when it comes to underperforming athletes, especially women. What good is a floundering Sania Mirza when we’ve had the audacity to make a certain Sachin Tendulkar endure ignominious headlines like ‘Endulkar’? What good is her undying dedication when we’ve had people question the heart that Baichung Bhutia put into the game?

From the infamous ‘Jama Masjid’ controversy to her ‘legs pointing towards the Indian flag’ fiasco to the ridiculous ‘cannot play wearing shirts and skirts’ claptrap, Sania has been amidst the center of storm far too many times. However, what’s even more baffling is the appalling fact that she never gets the credit she deserves when she manages to weather that same storm through her wondrous achievements.

True that she’s had her share of controversies and has let her emotions get the better of her at times, but let’s be honest that the flame in her when it comes to playing the sport she loves, for the country her heart thrives for, is truly beyond doubt inextinguishable and essentially the only thing that matters

Ever since Mr. Laxman’s invigorating comments, Sania’s bandwagon has been on an impressive roll showing no signs of derailment whatsoever. For India’s good, let’s hope it stays on that path for a long time. Apart from being runners-up in 2014 at Indian Wells, Canada and China, she won the US Open, the WTA Championships and helped India bag a bronze and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

On the contrary, many think that the reason for her recent success on the circuit is Mr. Laxman. Now I understand that coming from a country that is dramatically ruled by the “chutzpah” of a certain organization called “Bollywood,” majority would be inclined towards that explanation. However, if I may be allowed to shatter this whole idiotic fabrication, Sania Mirza has always been one great tennis player.

The fact that she has represented us internationally for so long consistently only speaks volumes of the talent that she possesses. This after the sore fact that our country boasts of a population of 1.2 billion. Not only has Sania Mirza been India’s face globally when it comes to women’s tennis, but she must also be given credit for putting us on the map.

So to all those haters, who have nothing better to do than just submerge her in their bucketload of nonsense, it’s time to come out and smell the sweet aroma of your own foot lying deep inside your own mouth. It’s time to show some appreciation towards a world class tennis player rather than just sit back and wait for her to mess up and then trash her. Because no matter how positive we say we are, we have to come to terms with the ugly truth that it might actually be quite some time before we could have the privilege of walking tall among the tennis powerhouses.

Hence, if you want to judge her then judge her by her immense forehand and not by the legs that she displays while sporting a skirt on the court. A forehand so strong by the way that even the great Serena Williams had trouble braving her adroitness on a sunny afternoon at the Rod Laver Arena.

If you want to judge her, then judge her by her immaculate on-court presence of mind and not by her off-court marriage to another human being. A mind so technically sound when it comes to tennis acumen that hitting a deft drop shot even made his majesty Roger Federer stand back and applaud.

If you want to judge her then judge her by her prodigious baseline angles and not by the fact that she likes to click selfies and upload them on Instagram every now and then. Some angles so acute that even the best of the best – Swiss legend Martina Hingis – could not help but appreciate the genius in her.

If you want to judge her then judge her by her phenomenal winners and not by useless nugatory comments that she made on ‘safe sex’. Winners that are so staggering in execution that Svetlana Kuznetsova was left stunned in the middle of Wimbledon’s prestigious center court.

And finally, if you want to call her names, then call her by her own one and not by farcical slangs that disrespect her. Because quite frankly the name “Sania Mirza” says it all and is just that damn good!

Why Laxman deserves a Double Bagel!

Whenever I hear the name ‘Laxman’, the first thought that crosses my mind is the quaint image of a valiant warrior who devoted his life towards the betterment of his brother and served him with unflinching loyalty. It’s the image of a soldier who never in his wildest dreams could have imagined betraying someone or hurting the values for which he stands tall for. He lived in an era where allegiance was not just a word that could be written for the sake of it (Yes! They had pens and paper in the forest at that time). But now times have indeed changed and we’ve come a long way from that glorious era.

I guess it is absolutely justified to reach a conclusion that if Laxman was alive today, he would have died with shame. Not that I’m trying to draw a parallel with someone in specific. You see I’m not an avid politics enthusiast, but when a person chooses to be a part of a political party that in its manifesto says, and I quote, “we aim to build a modern, prosperous and vibrant India” I truly expect that my country politicians stand up to that reputation.

Let’s not even go to the extent about what the party has to say on the promotion of sports. Let’s focus on another area – Women! The party has this credence that women are the ‘nation builders’. It believes that women should be respected and must be treated as equals with the men of the country. Makes sense to me. But does it really matter to the party and the politicians themselves? Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we? The manifesto ends with a promise that the party commits itself to the aforementioned tasks and promises to work relentlessly towards those goals, for which they seek sixty months. So, there’s still time. Till that time comes, we’re all free to demean women in any manner possible and not give a damn when it comes to reverencing a phenomenon that can end wars – Sports.

 See that’s the biggest problem that our country faces today. We do not understand, nay we underestimate, the potential that a sport carries. A sportsman is considered to be someone who probably ended up playing the game because he/she was not good at studies. Might be true, but it’s a choice not an option. And if people, especially sportspersons, are condemned because they’re people who have taken the easy way out as studies was not a viable option for them, then politicians are no better. What should matter is the contribution that one makes towards his/her country. What should not matter is whose son/daughter/son-in-law/daughter-in-law that person is.

But what do I know? I’m just another hopeless sports fanatic who was not good at studies and took the easy way out into the sporting world. What’s missing from my life is that I’m not insulting women when I want to get back at my rivals and I’m not making riotous barbs targeting people’s nationality/citizenship.

Enough of beating around the bush. Mr. K Laxman (Oops! It’s Dr. K Laxman) calling Sania Mirza Pakistan’s daughter-in-law is downright disgusting and repellent of what we stand for as Indians. It’s very easy to make these absurd remarks Dr. Laxman, but what you don’t understand is that you’ve managed to betray your country and hurt the sentiments of a ritzy tennis player, along with millions of others, after portraying yourself as a loyal servant of the same country.

It’s not tough deciphering what has actually happened during this fiasco. It’s a classic case of getting back at a rival by using any desperate mean possible. That’s actually the sad state of affairs that this country has had to go through for the last 10 years now. What’s even sadder is the fact that it has now happened at a time when the ruling party has changed and proclaimed that ‘Ache Din’ have started. I myself have supported that party for quite some time and hence am confused whether am hurt because that party backstabbed me or because sports was taken a dig at yet again or because nationalism was for the umpteenth time exposed to the dark underbelly of ignominy.

If I get a chance to meet Dr. Laxman today, then I would not slap him. And I would definitely not put him on the receiving end of my wrath. The whole nation is already doing that. And if someone is not either angry or sad about the events that have conspired, then quite frankly that person is as naïve and silly as Dr. Laxman himself. What I would do is point out a few facts to him about Sania Mirza.

·         Sania Mirza has an extensive Wikipedia page that has 10 full extensive bullet points depicting her career achievements and laurels that she has helped her country (India) win. Dr. Laxman does not even have a notebook page about him.

·         Sania Mirza is presently the World No. 5 in the WTA doubles circuit – the highest that any Indian female tennis player has ever reached.

·         Sania Mirza is the only Indian female tennis player who has won a Grand Slam – the most prestigious tournament that the sport of tennis has to offer.

·         Sania Mirza is only Indian female tennis player to have played on Centre Court of Wimbledon – the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in history.

·         Sania Mirza is the only Indian tennis player to have won a WTA title – the first Indian till date to win a singles tennis title.

·         Sania Mirza was the first Indian tennis player to have been seeded at a Grand Slam - a feat that will probably never be repeated if the current state of affairs in relation to sports continues.

·         Sania Mirza is the only Indian tennis player to have been ranked inside the top 30 in the WTA singles circuit – a time when she beat the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli, Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina and Victoria Azarenka.

·         Need I go on?

But of course all these things mean nothing to a person like Dr. Laxman. Why you ask? Because of the simple fact that they are all achievements made in the field of sports. Furthermore, they are all made by a woman. And to add to that fact, they were all made by a person who is married to a Pakistani national.

Whether one is a sports fan or a political pundit, one can’t shy away from the unvarying truth that Sania Mirza after all is a treasured possession that India has produced. People can hate her guts for not playing well or despise her for giving more importance to modeling over tennis; but no one should dare blemish her individuality when it comes to being an Indian.  Not Dr. Laxman, not anyone else.

She indeed has no obligation whatsoever to prove her Indian-ness just because she married someone from a different country. She proved that she is an Indian by heart when her valorous presence set foot on the international arena and made the country proud. Now that I come to think about it, Sania Mirza has dedicated her whole life towards the betterment of the country and has served India in the most loyal manner possible. In other words, no one could have ever imagined that Sania Mirza would be a better ‘Laxman’ than Dr. K Laxman himself.

Jai Hind!