The 18-year old from hyderabad did not progress to the fourth round at the Australian Open, but she sure did win the hearts and minds of a billion people. This tennis prodigy has the grace of a ballerina, the tenacity of a boxer, the agility of a sprinter, and the courage of a soldier. It took her a while to settle down and calm her nerves against Serena Williams, but once she did, she gave a stunning display of power tennis. It is true that Sania has modeled her game after Steffi Graf. Sania's whiplash forehand is reminiscent of the Graf sledgehammer, and Sania's serve has the signature Steffi high-toss. She has a steady backhand and a decent slice. But sania's game is not perfect by any measure. Serena aced her on 6 occasions. Sania needs to work on the return of serve. She needs to anticipate better and stay on her toes, especially against amazons like Serena who can dish out 130mph thunderbolts at will. Sania needs to master the 1-2 punch.; her potent forehand begs to be followed up with a net approach and a killer volley. Sania also needs to learn to be patient, work her opponent around the court, and build each point to its climax. She went for the premature kill on crucial points against Serena, and invariable ended up sailing over the baseline or crashing into the net. The basics are in place, all she needs to do now is start playing smart tennis and curb the low percentage flamboyance.
Sania's crowning moment at the Australian Open came when Agassi's former coach, Brad Gilbert complimented Sania's game and recognized her potential by acknowledging that she is sure to break into the top 50 sometime this year if she continues to play with the same level of intensity. Sania, we salute you! You made us all very proud. you've single-handedly reshaped the future of Indian tennis. You may not know it yet, but you've evolved us beyond our male-dominated cricketing roots. The world of individual sports in India is about to undergo a sea change. Things will never be the same again.
