Sania Mirza exclusive: How early hurdles shaped the Indian tennis player into an icon

Authenticity. It’s a peppered into Sania Mirza’s conversation.

The 36-year-old six-time Grand Slam tennis champion has only recently retired from the professional ranks, but her schedule is still as packed as ever.

Between making her final exhibition matches, attending award ceremonies and preparing for her new role at Royal Challengers Bangalore cricket club as part of the inaugural Women’s Premier League, Mirza tells the Olympics.com podcast there hasn’t been much time to relax.

“I know it's hectic and stuff, but I do really like it,” she insists.

After a trailblazing 20-year-long career that saw her become India’s most successful tennis player, it’s not surprising that a flurry of attention swirls around Mirza.

It’s been there ever since her breakthrough onto the Grand Slam circuit as an 18-year-old taking on Serena Williams returning to the might of her powers at the 2005 Australian Open.

And it hasn’t strayed since.

Reflecting on that same attention she is still negotiating, Mirza believes the reason the spotlight has always burned on her so brightly has its roots in her beginnings.

• Sania Mirza's career highlights: Grand Slams, Olympics, rankings and more

“Just finding a tennis court to practise on - that was the challenge in itself,” the Indian tennis star says remembering the early days and the problems she encountered.

“Just where to find one tennis court. Then, we were playing on surfaces made out of cow dung. I mean, there were no other surfaces in Hyderabad. Finding people to play with, finding actual coaches: everything was a challenge.

“Because over here you're trying to do something that's never been done before, right? It's not like there are 10 people ahead of you and you are just following the path of what everybody else has laid in front of you.

“To practise with new balls used to be like it was Christmas, you know? Like, ‘Oh my God, we have new balls to practice with,’ because it was so expensive. We couldn't afford it at that point.”

By pursuing their dream of getting their daughter to one day play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court – a vision Mirza’s father had had when she was just five years old – Mirza and her parents quickly discovered their daughter would be an exception: a ‘one-of-a-kind'.

And the lack of a blueprint to follow not only had its implications for her on the court but off it too.

As Mirza remembers her remarkable journey it becomes clearer that much of it is intertwined with outside voices and the opinions of others.

While there were those celebrating her rise following her on their television boxsets as she took on the world’s best there were those criticising her at every turn, particularly during her late teens and early 20s.

It was a sharp lesson for Mirza that she would be scrutinised no matter what she did.

“I was very fortunate to come from a family of two girls who were never treated any different because they were girls. And that's how we grew up, so we thought that's the most normal way to be. And then, as you grow older, you see that's not the case in a lot of households.

“You are treated differently because you are a girl in some ways. You are allowed to do some things you're not allowed to do. Society is allowing you to do certain things and not allowing you to do certain things. And so, we were very fortunate to come from also parents who were probably ahead of their times. 30 years ago, they were ahead of their times.

“When things around you happen is when you actually realise that ‘Oh wow, not a lot of people think like us’; not a lot of people actually believe certain things that we've grown up with, which is very normal for us.

Looking back on how she managed with the microscopic lens she found herself being studied by, Mirza admits today, she’s not sure how did it.

“I do look back and I’m actually quite impressed with myself,” she muses. “How did I not lose it? How did I go into this press conference and not throw the microphone at someone?”

Her anchor, in those times, she believes was her commitment to be as true to herself as possible.

“I think that what keeps me very stable is the fact that I try when I’m having a conversation with you, I try to be as authentic as possible. I understand that you cannot be so true in front of every single person, but I try and be true to things that matter. I try and put it out there as it is.

“When I talk to you, and you ask me a question, I try and be as honest as possible because I feel that’s respectful to you and your job as well as what you’re trying to do. And that’s how I've lived my life.

“I can understand why that could offend some people because it's for a lot of people, black and white is not the way to go. They want you to be in a little bit of grey. They want you to sugar-coat a few things, you know? And I just don't believe I believe that I will not sugar-coat something that needs to be said. If I feel that I need to say something and if I feel that's going to make a difference and is going to be heard, then I need to say it, whatever it may be.”

Sania Mirza on leading the way for other Indian athletes

In her retirement, one of the many things that Mirza has been credited with has been the way she has paved the way for other Indian female athletes.

It’s something she says she’s often asked about with Mary Kom and PV Sindhu often cited as examples of those that have followed in her footsteps.

“Do I think that I played a part in it? I mean, I hope so,” Mirza says.

“I tried to be as authentic as possible. I tried to do and say the things that were close to my heart, from my heart and not just as an athlete, but like everything else, too, to help young girls believe that they can be the best in the world, and they can be champions and they can do whatever they want on their own terms.

“In India or on that side of the world, I tell you honestly, young girls are told more often than not told that they cannot do something rather than they can. The minute a girl says something outside of the box and says, ‘I want to do this’, they're like, ‘Yeah, but it's never been done before’. Well, yes. I mean, it doesn't matter it's never been done before, you know?

“Those are the things that women, strong women need to come out in that time, come out and speak about first of all. No matter how many people it annoys, you have to talk about it.

“That's why when I see young female athletes who are like eight, 10 years younger than me winning these medals and coming back home, it's so amazing for me because I feel like they are my own. I feel like I've played a part in some way of trying to enable them to in believing that they are meant to be champions.”

Sania Mirza: Embracing new role as a mentor for young female cricketers

Mirza’s pride for the women that have followed her will now take on a new shape as begins her new role with the RCB as a mentor for the new women’s T20 cricket team.

When the role was initially proposed to her the tennis player said she was hesitant to accept, unsure what she would be able to offer the world of cricket. But after further conversations clarified that the position would be to oversee the players' mental welfare, she sensed that no one would be able to do the job quite like her.

“They wanted someone to look after the players’ mentality in terms of what it really takes as young Indian women,” Mirza explained. “To have so many eyes on them, photoshoots, so much spotlight with all the matches being telecast.

“This is the kind of stuff that I have dealt with for the last 20 years. When the stakes are high, people judge you on every single thing that you do. With more adulation also comes more criticism. So that's what they said they wanted me for."

With the WPL now underway Mirza will now be able to impart all of her knowledge and experiences to the history-making young cricketers.

Wishing herself that she had had a mentor, or a friend, to lean on during her time when things got turbulent, she says she hopes to be by their side no matter what.

“I want them to know that I'm there, to help in whatever way possible.”