Sania Mirza was in her element on Sunday before she formally flagged off the ‘Walk for Fitness’ as part of NDTV-Nirmal ‘Marks for Sports’ nationwide campaign.

The two-time Grand Slam winner did skipping exercises for a while and then joined the group of organisers in performing the ‘Gangnam’ dance to the delight of those who assembled at the KBR Park in the city.

“It is a great feeling to see Hyderabad take great interest in fitness. It is clearly departing from the days of laid-back approach and for the good,” Sania remarked.

“Fitness and some bit of walking does help everyone and especially when one enters the wrong side of the 50s. It is imperative to be choosy about the food you take daily,” the tennis player commented. “I support this campaign for the simple reason that I believe it helps India emerge a very healthy country,” she said.

“I always believed that sports and fitness should be an integral part of the school curriculum for this helps to be a very healthy nation,” Sania said about her campaign.

Later, Saina presented gift vouchers of Rs. 5,000 each to the 10 lucky participants and Rs. 1 lakh gift voucher to bumper winner Vignanandam.

Referring to her tennis career, Sania feels it is a great honour to partner World No. 1 Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles and hopes to script a new chapter in her career.

“The city has a rich history of producing great sportspersons with the likes of Jaisimha, Azharuddin, V.V.S. Laxman, Gopi to name a few. And, the best part is that Saina and I are still very hungry for success.We hope to inspire the young talent,” she pointed out.

“It also hurts to notice that not many are around who can break into the top 300 or even 200 tennis ranks. I am starting the tennis academy to ensure that young talent is groomed,” she signed off.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad, November 05th, 2012