McIntyre Tennis

Sania Mirza Interview

Sania Mirza doesn't sound too pleased with the media in this interview.  Can't say I blame her, but if you take all the endorsement money you have to deal with the publicity.

From IndiaTimes: 'Movies? Sania is a tennis star'

On plans to concentrate more on doubles:

I am very young to take a decision on whether I should play only doubles or singles. Many think I am playing better in doubles, but I don’t think so. I am doing very well in singles as well as doubles and I want it to be that way.

On the movie offers she is getting:

I don’t want to talk on this aspect. Sania Mirza is a tennis player and would like to remain a tennis player and would like to be remembered only as a tennis player.

Any New Year resolution:

I don’t like taking a New Year resolution. I do not believe in all these things.

The WTA in Seoul & Guangzhou

At Hansol in Korea, Martina Hingis won her first match while yesterday saw a couple of seeded casualties (adios, Maria Kirilenko, Gisela Dulko and Lucie Safarova). She'll have a rematch with Sania Mirza in the 2nd round, whom she beat so soundly last week in the semis in Kolkata.

Over in Guangzhou, top seeds Jelena Jankovic and Na Li are through the first round.

Matt Cronin on the Teen Would-Be Phenoms

Nice look at Nicole Vaidisova and Tatiana Golovin, with bits on Sania Mirza and Shahar Pe'er.

Tantalizing teens look for breakout

Being Sania Mirza

"I have them even at Cincinnati. I have a billion people watching my every step, living a tennis match with me," Mirza said. "It is amazing, in a way, that people care so much about just a tennis match, and it can make such a difference to their lives and their moods. But the support is great, and I think I take it to my benefit and need to say I should feel lucky that I have a billion fans every time I step on the court."

That must be an incredible--and scary--feeling. Andy Murray's got pressure? Please.

Read 'Mirza under a microscope in tennis, world'

Wimbledon, Day 3

Well today we've got some really interesting match-ups. Mirza v. Dementieva in round one? Ouch. Mirza's power game is suited to grass...and Dementieva...well, I love her, but this could be the upset of the day.

Also, Nalbandian v. Clement, Djokovic v. Robredo, Santoro vs. Berdych, Malisse-Stepanek. What match ups are you looking forward to?

Looks like Ljubicic is about to take out Feli Lopez; he's already up 2 sets on court 13...I'm about to watch the rest of that one. ETA: Wow, Lopez took the 3rd set; he broke Ljubicic to love in the last game of the 3rd set (7-5). Ljubicic seemed to fade after Lopez saved break points in his last 2 games...Lopez is really battling. Let's see if he keeps it up. ETA: Brave effort from Lopez, but not enough.

ETA: Ginepri's crap year continues with his first ever loss to Mardy Fish (in straights sets! Fish had never even won a set off Robby). Davydenko was also dismissed by some Colombian named Falla.

Wimbledon Draws are Out!: The Women

Here's the women's draw. Venus landed at the bottom of Mauresmo's quarter of the draw and so did 14th seed Dinara Safina. Other trouble spots: a newly brunette Tatiana Golovin and Ana Ivanovic who's already beaten Amelie this year. Michaela Krajicek, who's still having a great week in Nottingham, is a potential 2nd round match up for Mauresmo.

Sharapova's section looks pretty straightforward until Dementieva in the quarters, though Schiavone, Sania Mirza, and Danilidou, who made the semis at the Ordina Open, could add some spice.

Hingis, Hantuchova, Jamea Jackson and Patty Schnyder are in Justine Henin-Hardenne's section of the draw. Will be interesting to see if Hingis can reach the massive roadblock that is Justine.

At the bottom of the draw, there are a few threats between #5 seed Kuznetsova and #2 seed Kim Clijsters: Vaidisova, Na Li and Kirilenko.

News: Petrova's pulled out with her lingering groin injury from the French.

Sania Mirza's Feeling the Pressure

"Everyday, It Gets Tougher"

"Last year every time I won it was a surprise. But now, each time I lose it’s a surprise...People have a lot of expectations for you, especially a billion people in India. It makes it hard.

“The last 14 years, everybody thought we were stupid to be playing tennis. People discouraged us saying it doesn’t make sense to play tennis but I always believed, it makes you mentally stronger.” Read the Article

Mirza Will Play Fed Cup Although Doctors Advise Against It

From Indiatimes: I'm playing against doc's advice: Sania

Having missed out on last year's action, Sania Mirza is braving multiple injuries to spearhead India's campaign in the upcoming 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 RK Khanna stadium.

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

Sania Mirza and Aisam Qureshi: Just Friends

Pakistani tennis player Aisam Qureshi stirred up a bit of a tempest in a teapot when he casually mentioned that he and Sania Mirza are good friends.  So he was later forced to clarify that when he said that he and Sania were good friends, he meant they were...good friends.

From the Times of India: Just good friends

Sports has a way of transcending boundaries. So when Pakistan's top tennis player Aisam Qureshi is linked to our own tennis wunderkind Sania Mirza, eyebrows are bound to be raised.

And when we questioned Aisam, he hastened to clarify, "See, this is all because of a statement I made in Pakistan that Sania are I are very good friends, and that is the only truth." ...

Mirza Hopes to Play With Peer Again

The article's about how Sania Mirza has now decided to disregard criticism from some religious idiots and play doubles with Shahar Peer again, but I like her quote about her retooled game this year:

"The second year is tougher.  People know your weaknesses more. That's why I'm changing my serve now because people were taking advantage of it. It couldn't get worse, so it had to get better."

From Reuters: India's Mirza hopes to partner Israeli Peer again

India's Sania Mirza is hoping to renew her doubles partnership with Israel's Shahar Peer despite protests from some Muslim and Jewish groups.

Mirza, whose poor recent form has seen her slip from a career-high ranking of 31 at the end of 2005 to 45th, said she would have played with Peer at this week's Pacific Life Open, but the Israeli player had already booked a partner.

"You shouldn't mix up sports with anything else," the 19-year-old told Reuters at the March 8-19 tournament in Indian Wells.