Sania Mirza: I Thought I Would be Rustier Than I Was

Former World No. 1 Sania Mirza says she thought she would be rustier in her first tournament back after a two-year maternity break but was pleasantly surprised with her form, while speaking to the Press Trust of India from Melbourne. Mirza won the WTA Hobart doubles title with Ukraine's Nadiia Kichenok on Saturday - the 42nd title of her career. 

The Indian says, "It's something I did not expect totally, so to say, but I am excited to be able to do this in my first tournament on comeback. I honestly thought I would be a bit more rustier than I was. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not. But there are things I can improve and that is what makes a champion. You always want to get better in what you are doing, no matter how well you do. There is no key, I wish I knew, there was one key to winning. I just enjoyed my game. You have to work hard, play your game. I was playing with a new partner, new gear after two-and-a-half years. There was no pressure and no expectations. The first match was the only one when I felt a bit nervous because I did not know how my body would react and how I would play. That match was difficult but it set the tone and momentum. I was happy to come though that one and after that things kept getting better and better."

Mirza says she has some minor injuries she is dealing with which should not be too serious and is still looking for ways to improve. "It does change. I was dealing with a calf injury, from last month and I aggravated a bit today. I am still icing it as we speak but it should not be serious. The body is a lot different now. It recovers different. But recovery (process) has not changed so much, it's similar. My serve was decent but I can improve. I the first match I was not serving that well and was not returning well on important points but by the time I was playing the final, I was doing both of those little better. It is a process, it does not happen overnight. It's something will keep working on."

Sania will head to Melbourne for the Australian Open which starts on Monday. She will partner Kichenok in the women's doubles event and countryman Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles event.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/30zhpnY