Mumbai: Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has had her fair share of controversies but she has managed to beat the odds and with three Grand Slam mixed-doubles titles, one can easily say the sky is the limit for her.
Sports scientist and EQ consultant Shayamal Vallabhjee, who has worked with 28-year-old Mirza on the psychological front testifies her story. Coming from a Muslim background to acing her game in tennis, life has certainly not been an easy one for her. “Sania Mirza mentally is an absolutely phenomenal athlete. Being a young female in India, who’s performing in the limelight and coming from a Muslim background, she has to deal a lot with regards to her apparel. She has managed to bounce back successfully from every single thing and has had a 2014 that’s commendable with the best in the world,” Vallabhjee said on the sidelines of a sporting event in Mumbai on Tuesday.
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Vallabhjee applied the principles of exercise science on Mirza. “I understood her psychology and what’s troubling her. I then understood the mental states she performs best in and then triggered those elements off. I tried to create environments where she can be comfortable to perform. The fitter she is, the more mentally stable she is as an athlete. The big difference was when she let go of her singles career and decided to concentrate on her doubles. As an athlete you cannot focus on both and it was pulling her in two directions,” Vallabhjee said.
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Currently ranked World No. 5 in the women’s doubles, Mirza has now decided to team up with former World No 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the US-leg of the WTA Tour circuit, after parting ways with her women's doubles partner Hsieh Su-wei of Chinese Taipei. With such training coupled with a sound mental frame, Mirza will look to emerge triumphant and add a piece of silverware in her collection – a Grand Slam in the women’s doubles.
