Hyderabad: Tennis legend Martina Navratilova was on Wednesday all praise for the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in the City where she spent time with budding players, imparting vital tips to them.
Martina also hit a few balls at the WTA Master Class in conjunction with the Future Stars clinic aimed at boosting the game at the grassroot level. “It’s a great facility which Sania and her family has built to provide a fantastic opportunity to the youngsters,” Navratilova said of the 13-court nine hard and three clay infrastructure at the SMTA.
The kids were curious to pick her brains and Navratilova obliged. “Practice, practice, practice,” she advised them. “It’s a full time job.”The seasoned pro advocated playing against the wall a lot. “I started tennis when I was five years old and hit against the wall for two years before I got a coach. The wall is a great way to practice your strokes,” Navratilova, who has 59 Grand Slam titles — 18 singles, 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles said.
One trainee wanted to get the best serve. “The toss is vital,” she told him. “If you don’t get the toss straight, then you end up adjusting your body to its slanting line and get it completely wrong,” the 58-year-old added before going on to demonstrate. Then there were a volley of questions. She took them back to the wall. “The wall will teach you how to volley properly,” she explained, before elaborating, “Open the racquet and keep it along the ground and then pack just a little punch for a good volley. If you finish with your racquet above the net level, you’ll never miss a volley.”
Another kid had a pressure problem. Martina made it simple for him: “Everybody feels the pressure but no one has seen it. But, as Billie Jean King once said, pressure is a privilege and the one who deals with it better wins. So, concentrate on the solution. Ask yourself ‘what do I do to win this point, which is just between me and the ball.’ Sania, who wore a T-shirt with ‘Dream, Suffer, Succeed’ written on it, said so much without speaking. She termed “being mentally strong,” as her success secret.
Later at a press conference, Navratilova lauded Sania and Leander Paes. “Leander is 42 but still plays solid tennis. I love playing with him. Speaking of doubles teams, Leander has the quickest hands in the sport, is very imaginative and extremely passionate about the game,” she said of her partner with whom she won the Wimbledon and Australian Open mixed doubles titles in 2003 and 2007.
Navratilova also said she and Sania would have made a good team as well. “She smacks the heck out of the ball and loves to play. She’s always positive you never know by looking at her whether she’s winning or losing ’cos she’s always trying. And attitude is a very precious commodity. You see a lot of that with Leander and Sania.”
Navratilova said the recent Wimbledon women’s doubles final dished out tennis at its best. “I enjoyed the match, which probably had everything in it. There were swings of fortunes and all the shots,” she said. On her part, Sania was happy with her association with Hingis. “We started playing in March, played nine tournaments together and have won four,” Sania said.
Hyderabad could regain WTA spot
If everything goes to plan, Hyderabad could regain its spot on the WTA Tour, having lost it in 2005 after hosting three editions of the Indian Open. Currently, India does not figure on the WTA calendar. Melissa Pine, vice-president of the WTA’s Asia-Pacific division sounded positive when asked about Hyderabad’s chances. She attached a rider though. “There are events popping up on the WTA calendar all the time it really takes investment and infrastructure, and we would be happy to have a new event,” she told a press conference on Wednesday.
“We have 23 events in the Asia-Pacific right now. We started with two in China in 2008 and now there are 10, so with interest and infrastructure we can make it happen,” Ms Pine added.
Sharing the stage with her, K. Kavita, Member of Parliament and daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, pledged government support. “Sure, why not?” she responded.
“A world class event happening in Hyderabad will definitely put us on the world map and we’ll be very proud to host it. If we can understand what kind of investment, infrastructure and support they would want. If there is any formal representation, we will take it forward,” Ms Kavita said. “As a woman Parliamentarian, I will support women’s tennis and makes sure it grows in our country,” she added.
