Just back from an outing in the first Grand Slam event of the year in the Australian Open, India's tennis prodigy Sania Mirza had a surprise waiting for her at home - a Padma Shree. And she becomes the youngest Indian ever to win this honour. Sania reacts to that big news and talks about tennis and lot more in an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN Sports Editor Gaurav Kalra.
Gaurav Kalra: Sania Mirza, a very warm welcome to CNN-IBN. Should I be calling you Padma Shree Sania Mirza?
Sania: Thank you. No, I think Sania Mirza will do for now.
Gaurav: Sania, just tell me a little bit about the Padma Shree. First of all, you are the youngest recipient of this award in the history of this award and that must make you feel special?
Sania: Yes, definitely. I think whatever age you get this award, it's one of the biggest honour one can receive. I am totally honoured and I am lucky enough to be getting this in so early in my life and so early in my career. I would like to thank the government for giving me this award.
Gaurav: What an exceptional year it has been! It started in Australia in a year or so back and since then you have won matches against Top Ten players. You had a remarkable run and now a recognition at the age of 19 from the Government of India. This must be very special?
Sania: Of course, it's very special. Like I said I think it's every person's dream to receive a Padma Shree or Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India. I think I am lucky enough. Actually, I was a bit surprised that I did get it so early. I am very pleasantly surprised. Of course, I think I am very lucky.
Gaurav: Sania, let me take you back to Australia. That second round match in particular against Michella Krajicek. That was a player ranked below you in the WTA ranking. She is only 16 years old. Were you a little bit disappointed at the way the results turned out?
Sania: Well, every match you lose you are disappointed. But first of all, the ranking is just a number and it really does not matter if you are 45 in the world and I am 32. It does not mean that you cannot lose to anyone below you. Secondly, I think I have not had lot of match play in the last few months and I just had a bad day. It was one of those days when not a lot of things were going your way and the other player is coming back from a great tournament. It was her seventh or eighth consecutive win. She was playing well. She had just won a tournament just before coming in. So, I guess I could have done better, but that's just the way it is. It was just a bad day.
Gaurav:Sania, I was just looking at some statistics before we went on and one thing that struck me was that in the two matches that you played in Australia in the singles, you hit 33 winners but there were about 65 unforced errors. I know you are an aggressive, attacking player. But is that an aspect of your game that you think you need to look at ?
Sania: Well, I have been working on that. As I said when it's you off day, you want to make a lot of less unforced errors. That's something I am working on. But it's not going to happen in two-three-four months. It's going to take a while for me to reduce the errors. But I think my forte is aggressiveness. And if I take out the aggression from my game, then I will be just any other ordinary player.
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Gaurav: Let's talk a little bit about the injury concern, Sania. Just before you went to Australia, you had a bit of a warm-up tournament. But before that there was a slight injury concern. We also saw you strapped a little bit in Australia. Are you absolutely fine now?
Sania: Well, I don't think any athlete is absolutely ever fine. There are always some niggling pain, some injuries. I think injury is just a part of every sportsman's life and it's a part of sports. There is not much you can do except for protecting yourself and getting stronger. I have had my fair share of injury. And my knee, it was a tendonitis, which was coming back. I had it earlier also.
This is just a recurring injury and there is not much you can do. And that happens every on and off. On a bigger scale, I would give myself 9 out of 10. But if you start picking up what pain I get when I wake up every morning, you will find more injuries.
Gaurav: Well. Pain is a part of sportsman's life. Let me ask you little bit how disappointing were the losses in the doubles and mixed doubles. Is it like every time you drop out of singles, your motivation drops off or is it just another case of two matches not going so well.
Sania: No, not at all. In doubles and mixed doubles I give as much importance as I give to singles. Obviously, singles is my priority. But if I lose on singles then I am going to give my best in doubles and mixed doubles and do well. But unfortunately, we didn't have the best draws in doubles. We played Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo in the first round. It's tough when you are playing with a player for the first time and we got one of the toughest draws. In the mixed, I think we played a decent match, it was just a break here and there. On the whole, I think I played decent tennis. I could have done better, but it's just the beginning of the year.
Gaurav: You did say it's the beginning of the year. Let's look ahead of the year. Now, it's often said that on the tennis circuit, the second year is sometimes tougher than the first year because you are defending points as you go into the year. Also, players seem to have worked you out a little bit. Do you take that view as well? Is the second year going to be tough than the first year?
Sania: Well, I think every day is tough than the other. Obviously, it's going to be tougher. But like you pointed out, more than defending the points, I think you can't just think about defending points. Because than you will just be thinking about that. You're just going to go out there and play your game. As for players knowing your game, you have to keep improving every couple of months and you have to keep learning. Keep playing and keep practicing. Of course, every year gets tougher and tougher.
Gaurav: You know Sania, I am sure you already know this. But everyone in India is an expert on your game. But let me try to wear the Devil's cap for a second. That first serve you have been asked a little bit about and also the tendency to reduce unforced errors as we referred to earlier. But improving the first serve, is it what you are looking forward to?
Sania: I really don't think I need to keep telling the whole world what I am working on. Me and my team know what I am working on. As far as opinion and all the experts are concerned, I think they all have their right to express their opinion. I am just going to do and try my best and get as good as I can. That's the game.
Gaurav: Let's talk about the plan for the next few months. Just take us through what you are doing in the next two or three months.
Sania: I am going to Paris and of course the clay court season kind of starting. And I will play in Bangalore before that. We play in Dubai, Doha. After that probably I will head to the States. As of now, that's the plan. All depends on the injuries, all depends on how my body feels.
Gaurav: You did win in Hyderabad last year. Now the Bangalore tournament will be a very big one for you playing in front of home crowd. That is something you must be looking forward to.
Sania: Oh, yeah. I always look forward to playing in front of India, play in front of my fans. As far as playing in Bangalore, just because I won in Hyderabad, it doesn't mean anything. I am ready to come out here and do as good as I can. Obviously, there is going to be pressures and expectations and I am looking forward to it.
Gaurav: Let me get you a little bit on the spot Sania. Mauresmo winning or will it be Justine Henen (in the Australian Open women's singles final) and will you be watching that one.
Sania: Both of them are going to play great tennis. Especially I think Henen has been really solid. She won Sydney. So, I think it will be a great match to watch, but very hard to pick who is going to win.
Gaurav: One final question. I read in an interview that you are a cricket fan. You will be here for the next three-four days. Are you going to switch on to India-Pakistan Test match and what are your expectations?
Sania: I don't think there is a Test only on the 29th. So, I did watch a little bit couple of days ago. I am more of a One-Day fan than Test matches. But I still catch on the first and the last day a little bit.
Gaurav: Well, the One-Day series will begin on the 6th of February and I am sure you will catch it in some hotel room in some part of the world. Thank you very much and big congratulations again for winning that Padma Shree.
Sania: Thank you.
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