YFLO’s first event of the calendar 2023-24 welcomed the legendary tennis player Sania Mirza at Taj Bengal last month for an inspirational talk on career choices and life choices that made her the star she is. In conversation with the new chairperson of YFLO, Priyanka Agarwal, Sania spoke about her career spanning over two decades — a journey that started way back at the tender age of six and continued with many spectacular turning points. An icon, Sania, who has inspired next-generation athletes with her illustrious career and ‘ice water in her veins’ moments, may have retired from the tennis court early but continues to nurture, motivate and prepare upcoming women athletes while also enjoying her motherhood journey. In a touchdown visit to Kolkata, she shared it all from her heart at the event titled ‘Elevate Your Game’ leaving the YFLO ladies mesmerised and motivated one more time with her charming candour. Excerpts:
KOLKATA MEMORIES:
The city of Kolkata holds a warm place in her heart and so does its food. “I have such good memories of Kolkata. I have been coming here even before it was Kolkata. It was Kolkata. I played tennis here. The food is to die for. Being a Hyderabadi, food is very high on my priority list for any city that I go for. And, the people are so warm,” she said.
THE START:
Following Priyanka’s theme of the year ‘Elevate each othHer’, the event was aptly titled, where the sports star shared her journey of elevating herself every step of the way. “I was six years old and my mom really wanted the child to play a sport. I used to skate, swim and play tennis and I was better at tennis. That is where it started and my parents had this vision. I was always playing in a higher category. It was never like we sat down and planned but things just kept happening. There is a misconception about tennis that it is an individual sport, but so many people put their efforts behind us. My parents are the sole reason I am here,” she shared.
THE MAKING OF THE SUPERSTAR:
Right from being introduced to the game to her shaping up as a sports superstar, her parents had a role to play. “Behind a successful woman, there is a progressive man, and for me, that was my father. He stood like a rock. We should thank these progressive men who help us to feel empowered,” shared Sania. Recalling who she looked up to, she said, “When we were growing up, the only female superstar in sports was P. T. Usha. We only heard of her. We did not know what she looked like. It was very difficult to come out of a culture and conservative background and want the daughter to do that. There was Serena Williams, but no one thought of playing with her… when I played in 2005 with Serena it caught so many people’s imagination. It defined my career and the path I was going on. When I started playing, we, as a family, never thought we were going to be famous, I played for the love of the game. It is not something I worked towards. We played for passion, everything else was a bonus,” she said. But no matter how good she was at her game, the family stressed on education. From dealing with public gaze and criticism to balancing a career in sports and completing her education, she shared how her family was her strongest support system in this journey.
CHOOSING MOTHERHOOD:
Another turning point in her life was choosing to become a mother at the pinnacle of her career, standing at the world’s number eight position in the game. “I have to be honest. I am not a maternal mother but I wanted to be a mother. My biggest concern was what if I don’t love my child. I used to keep asking my mom and she used to tell me not to worry about it. On the first night, my child was bleeding a little and I freaked out. It doesn’t matter if you are maternal or not but the love you have for your child is irreplaceable. It (being a mother) made me a better human being. As athletes, we are very selfish. We have to be. We think about our food, our training, everything is about us and suddenly nothing is about us. Nobody asks us how we are feeling. It (motherhood) taught me, selfless love. You don’t need to be maternal for that. I can cry a lot more today. It made me into a more compassionate woman, a lot softer,” she said.
THE WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY:
Right after her delivery, Sania documented her weight loss journey on social media. Talking about it, she said, “I had put on 23 kilos during my pregnancy. I was breathing and putting on weight! (Laughs) I was nauseous and not eating desserts at that time. Imagine if I wasn’t feeling that way! I stopped looking at myself in the mirror. But I always knew that I would come back to tennis. On the third day after delivery, I was back on a diet. I don’t encourage it but my doctor helped. I was 89 kilos and in four months I was 63. The reason why I documented it on social media was, firstly, it felt funny to see how it goes, and then, I started receiving messages from a lot of young mothers about how it motivated them and that was one of the reasons then.”
“Sania Mirza, in my opinion, is a true representative of my theme for this year. She is a trailblazer in Indian tennis, and her achievements as a female athlete are truly inspiring. Sania’s story embodies the spirit of elevating oneself, overcoming challenges and breaking barriers to achieve success. I further feel happy to have included some member kids and kids from Future Hope School, an NGO we supported during this event to be inspired by a champion,” said Priyanka Agarwal.
Kids from Future Hope School NGO with Sania and Priyanka.
THE GRAND SLAM COMEBACK:
She pursued her dream unapologetically and motivated all women to do so. “I think we should forgive ourselves. Being a mother is a part of our journey. It is not our entire life. It takes two people to make a child and two people to bring up that child. As a young mother, if you want to pursue your dreams, it doesn’t make you a bad mother. It makes you human. If you have the right support system, you should go for it. Nobody has the right to make you feel guilty about it. I don’t live for people. I feel lucky that I am a person who people like to listen to. My job is larger than playing tennis. I try to set the right example. It comes from a good place and it will inspire another woman. It is not about showing another person what I can do,” she said.
GENDER INEQUALITY:
Coming to this topic during the course of the conversation, Sania was quick to point out that it is not restrictive to sports but to all professions and in life, in general. “The question is not why should we get the same amount, the question is, why should we not get it? It is not just the women who have to ask but also the men. Conversation helps, questioning helps. The other gender also has to fight for it. Only then we will achieve equality. In Grand Slam, now we have equal pay after a lot of fight, “ she said.
THE STYLE ICON:
From sporting piercings on her nose on the court, a style admired by many of her fans, to turning up as her stylish best always, she was admired beyond the game she played. Sharing how she feels about it, Sania said, “This whole style icon thing amazes me a lot because I have a very good team that I trust and they do the job. My sister is a good designer and stylist and I have that kind of support. But I am a lazy person. I am very happy in my pyjamas. I would appreciate it if someone came up and told me they want to play a forehand like I do. It really offends me if someone comes and says that I am beautiful and I should join Bollywood. But why? I am number one in what I do. Why do I need to join Bollywood? On this side of the world, you are either a cricketer or you are not an athlete. And, if you are beautiful, you have to join Bollywood!”
THE LAST MATCH:
Her retirement came out of left field. Playing a video of her last match, Priyanka asked Sania to describe the moment and she replied, “That emotion is still very raw. It was just two or three months ago. A lot of people ask me why did I stop while I was still so good. I wanted to stop playing when I am on the top. It is a difficult thing to do. It is like saying, I am capable of winning grand slams but I am choosing to do something else. After having my son, I wanted to play. I chose myself though I was a mother. Now, I want to be more of a mother. I want to do the school pick-ups and drop-offs. I chose to play tennis at my own will and chose to stop when I wanted to.
EMBARKING ON A NEW JOURNEY:
Right after her retirement, Sania took up the role of mentoring the young girls of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s inaugural Women’s Premier League. Talking about her new role, she said, “It is not just about personal goals but trying to help the next generation. It is important for me to use my experience and help the next generation.”