Far away from the hustle and bustle of city life (a 30-minute drive from the city), the serenity and calming ambience at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy are slowly attracting promising players. Sania and her father Imran have conceptualized and created an amazing academy on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

“It is my dream project. It was a lot harder when I started my career and one of the reasons to construct this academy to give back to the game,” she said.

“Now young players would not have to face the difficulties that Leander (Paes), Mahesh (Bhupathi) or myself faced in our younger days.’’

Asked how she would look after the academy, Sania said she was lucky that her family always supported her. “When you are alone you have to wait for your retirement. I’m lucky enough that we have a supporting family, who are able to manage the academy. Whenever I’m in city, I practice here and try to spend a good number of time here. This is an integral part of my life,” she said.

It is her dream to introduce more children to the game, “We will help promising tennis players. I’m more than happy to spot talent in rural areas and presently we have girl, who is hearing impaired. This is what academy was made for.’’

Meanwhile Imran said apart from 12 plexipave courts (which are soft to the legs), they are planning to have three clay courts at the academy. “It is a complete tennis academy. The Sania Mirza Tennis Academy is a destination for a every lover of tennis who aspires to learn, enjoy and just relish the opportunity to indulge in the royal game,’’ he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by N Jagannath Das / ENS – Hyderabad / October 09th, 2013