HYDERABAD, India - Sania Mirza was given a hero's welcome upon landing at the airport in her hometown of Hyderabad on Monday, being greeted and cheered on by crowds of loyal supporters after becoming India's third - and first female - Grand Slam tennis champion.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes were already India's first Grand Slam champions beforehand, each winning four Grand Slam men's doubles titles (three together) and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles between them (six for Bhupathi, four for Paes). But in Melbourne this past fortnight Mirza added her name to her country's tennis royalty, winning the mixed event with Bhupathi (giving him his seventh Grand Slam mixed doubles title).
"It's always a dream to win a Grand Slam - that's what we all play for," Mirza said. "It's even more special because it's with someone I've known for so long and know so well. It's a dream come true. We came very close last year, but we did one better this time. And we definitely hope to continue on like this."
Mirza has been achieving Indian firsts on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour for most of the last five years. In 2004 she became the first Indian woman ever to win a Tour title when she captured the doubles title at Hyderabad in 2004 (with Liezel Huber). At the same event in 2005 she claimed her first Tour singles title, the first Indian woman ever to achieve that feat. Also in 2005 she became the first Indian woman ever to reach the third round at a Grand Slam (at the Australian Open), then went one better by becoming the first to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam (at the US Open). Additionally, she became the first Indian woman to rank in the Top 50, eventually reaching a career-high of No.27 in the summer of 2007.
Mirza has seen her ranking drop out of the Top 100 over the last year, due to a pair of lengthy right wrist injury lay-offs last season. So, a feat like this to begin 2009 could be a sign of great things to come for the 22-year-old.
"I know for a fact the whole country is excited now," said Bhupathi, who is also Mirza's manager and mentor. "It's her first Slam. She's been in the news for the last four years. A lot of players in the past have won a Slam in either doubles or mixed then gone on to do better things, like Lleyton Hewitt. Even Venus and Serena, they won their first Slams in mixed. Then they moved up in singles."
Mirza is still the only Indian woman ever to have won either a Tour singles title (she has one) or a Tour doubles title (she now has seven).
