The pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis proves to be unstoppable as the duo wins the women's double title at the WTA finals in Singapore. Reflecting on Mirza's tennis success, she called herself a "freak accident."
Sania Mirza had a rough start as a tennis player since there was not a lot of opportunity for female sports in Hyderabad, Southern India. As a child, she did not enjoy playing on lush green lawns, but just had to be contented playing on courts with cow manure. She also dreamed to play at Wimbledon one day, which most people regarded as a joke.
However, things changed for the girl from Hyderabad in 2005, as she was the first woman to win a WTA title. Although she had to abandon her singles career after acquiring some injuries, she did excel the doubles and is now ranked no. 1 in April.
"Lots of people (say to me) all the time, 'You're the first woman to do this, you're the first Indian to do this -- man or woman,'" Mirza said on an interview with CNN. "That's not something I consciously think of every time I'm stepping on the court but I do know at the back of my head that I have played a bit of a part and I do feel privileged to say, and I am proud to say, that I have been part of a change."
Although Mirza also had a lot of negative feedback when she first started in 2005, from wearing a skirt in court to marrying a former Pakistan cricket player. However, her achievements made her a real celebrity in India, and are now being praised for all her hard work.
The pair of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won nine titles this season, which makes the Swiss veteran tennis player to praise her doubles partner Mirza. The Hingis-Mirza duo won in Beijing, Charleston, Guangzhou, Indian Wells, Miami, US Open, Wimbledon and Wuhan. They will also attempt to with the Australian Open this January for their third consecutive grand slam.
