PICTURE SPEAK

Our 2000 tennis cover

When it comes to India's sporting achievements on the global scene, I am the greatest cynic of them all. I firmly believe that we tend to celebrate mediocrity just because we succeed so rarely. We are so grateful for small triumphs that we forget true excellence.

Watching Sania Mirza play against top seed Maria Sharapova at the US Open in New York last week made me change my mind. The score in no way reflected the impressive tennis played by Mirza, where she had Sharapova under pressure several times. Although it ended Mirza's dream run at the US Open, it is likely to catapult her into the top 35 women tennis ranking in the world. This is no mean achievement. So far Mirza has defied all odds to show that she has the mettle to go further. She turned pro only in 2003, and in the space of a year, she has gone from 326 in the world rankings to 42, the quickest ascent for anyone in the US Open draw this year.

What happens to Mirza in the volatile world of international tennis rankings is difficult to predict. But beyond the tennis court, this confident, fresh-looking teenager with her own quirky style has become, according to WTAQ, the most photographed woman tennis player, preceded only by Sharapova and Serena Williams. Her clutch of earrings, nose-ring and T-shirts have captured the imagination of both the media and public overseas. It has made her endorsement-friendly, especially at a time when the performances of our cricketers, the much-feted national icons, have hit rock bottom. Mirza now reportedly commands a fee of Rs 1.5 crore per brand, which range from tea to gold jewellery. Her success is important for another reason, one she doesn't like too much attention to be paid to. She is a Muslim woman at a time when her religion is under global attack for its fundamentalist tendencies.

At 18, she is also the youngest sports personality on our cover; Sachin Tendulkar won that solo honour at 19. This is only the second time india today has put tennis on the cover-the first was in 2000 when Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi became the world's No. 1 doubles players. And yet, we have done 46 cover stories on sports, of which 27 have been on cricket.

The Mirza story was reported largely by our New York Bureau Chief Anil Padmanabhan, who watched her play each one of the four matches at Flushing Meadows. A regular at the US Open, this was the first time he felt proud to be an Indian. At the post-match press conference, Mirza handled the world's media with aplomb, says Padmanabhan, who spoke to her coach, her father, as well as veteran tennis players. "She has a very level head," he says. Let us hope it stays that way and that her popularity off the court is matched by her increasing prowess on it.

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