Sania Mirza: Tennis Or Life, It's Advantage

As Sania Mirza takes on the new challenge of motherhood, Anindita Ghosh talks to the ace athlete about her feelings on parenting, her return to tennis, and how she deals with the pressures of a celebrity marriage.

Sania Mirza is one of the world’s greatest tennis stars, and even as she readies to take on her brand new role, we are quite convinced that she will ace the motherhood game. From reigning on the tennis world for over a decade, to pursuing her career singlemindedly, from having a successful long-distance marriage, to shutting up naysayers like a boss, and now embracing parenthood, Mirza shows women that you don’t really need to choose between things, you don’t need to be an either-or person; you can have it all. Over to the star.

Was your pregnancy experience what you had expected?

The experience was good—it was overwhelming and different. I think, as women, we underestimate our bodies and what they can do, and I had that self-realisation. I feel privileged that I was able to go through it. I had a decently easy pregnancy, if there is such a thing.

Do you miss being away from the tennis action, first with the knee injury and then the pregnancy?

Of course, I miss being away from tennis and playing. With the knee, I was out of action for a few months and I had thought that I would go back as soon as it healed. But then we decided to have a baby. I think that mentally I was prepared for this long gap, and at the end of the day, in life, you should experience everything. That said, yes, I do miss tennis and that’s why you saw me playing occasionally even during my pregnancy.

When do you plan to get back into competitive tennis?