What Sania Mirza must do

When Sania Mirza stepped on to court number eight on Monday evening, most of the Europeans found themselves standing.

The Indian community came in droves, those who had travelled from India or British-bred Indians, and fought to find seats in the tiny stand created for spectators to watch the match.
 
Expectations on paper were not high, but with sentiments driving us Indians, the hope to see her win made us cheer.

She started off well, with a break ahead but soon gave it up. She got broken in a game dreaded by the spectators and soon the set, the tempo and the match shifted towards the German, who took each opportunity as if it were the last and capitalised on them immediately.

The last game felt a drag, somehow Mirza's heart was not there in the game anymore, and with a whiplash of a forehand kissing the unfortunate tramlines, the match came to a screeching end.

As a spectator and a tennis enthusiast educated in the sport purely by love and by experiences of playing and watching the game for over sixteen years, it is not difficult to pick out where Mirza needs to make a difference.

Text Copyright: Sayan Das/Sify.com

Images: Sania Mirza at Wimbledon 2010. Copyright AP. Any unauthorised reproduction is prohibited


Full Coverage: Wimbledon 2010