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Three days ago, Talat Aziz, the celebrated singer, composed a ghazal in honour of his niece Indian tennis star Sania Mirza’s marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. In the opening recital of Wednesday evening’s sangeet, Aziz wove his magic around the beauty of love. Translated into English, his whole-hearted appreciation of the newly-weds, read: It’s only when two hearts meet that you know the atmosphere of heaven on earth.
The rosy notes of romance are never far away from music of any ilk. For Sania, it’s the beginning of the scoring pattern of the sport she plays. The first sighting of the tennis pro in the bride came in the shape of a large Wimbledon towel, arranged carefully on her lap, just like she does during competition. Despite the costumes and the cultural themes that have been planned around her wedding, the WTA Tour, from which Sania has taken an injury break since early February, thanks to a damaged right wrist, is perhaps just a few racket swings away.
Sania, 23, once ranked as high as 27 in the world, but is presently hovering around the 90 mark, has used her time away from the court to also get her body in shape. Other than the week leading up to her nikah, which was mired in controversies, Sania has spent hours each day in the gym. Which perhaps explains the lighter, leaner look, even though she insists, she hasn’t dropped any more than three kilos.
Sania damaged the already strained tendons of her right wrist during the Dubai WTA event in February. While a prolonged rest had been prescribed by doctors who attended to her here in Hyderabad, and those she was referred to in Australia, she will look to strengthening the wrist in the next couple of weeks, as part of the rehabilitation programme.
If all goes to plan, Sania will get back on the Tour in early June, most likely in qualifying competitions in grass court events in Birmingham and Eastbourne, before Wimbledon. To be sure, the comeback will be a Herculean engagement and will require complete focus and fair luck. Her parents, Nasima and Imran, will continue to travel with her.
Sania says I hope my happiness rubs off on tennis too
Sania said: “It’s been an amazing last couple of days for me. It’s a completely different feeling when you have someone in your life. It’s not that it changes who you are, it just makes you feel better.’’
She added: “Hopefully I can take some of that feeling onto the tennis court when I return. It’s not going to be easy I know. It’ll be four months since I’ve been away. I have to first try my wrist at practice, and again in tournament play. Other than my wrist I feel pretty good physically, I have been working out all along which I anyway do whenever I take a break from competition.’’
If Sania manages to make a go of her comeback in the grasscourt season, she will most likely enjoy the support of her husband Shoaib from the stands. “I will support her career in any way I can,’’ he said. “I don’t play tennis, so I can’t advise her on her game, but as an international sportsman I understand the demands of professional sport.’’
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