Even after more than a decade in the sport, Sania Mirza is a huge draw wherever she goes. Despite the men's and women's teams losing in the quarter-finals on Monday, there was excitement once the diva of Indian tennis arrived at the facility.
Having successfully defended the WTA Tour title in Tokyo with Cara Black, Sania come in as one of the biggest names in the tennis competition. Four years ago in Guangzhou, she had shouldered an enormous load. This time, she will focus only on women's doubles and mixed doubles.
"It's wonderful to be taking part in the fourth Asian Games of my career. I treasure the six medals I've won and feel truly blessed to be looking for the seventh for my country," Sania told Mail Today on Monday.
It has been a long journey for Sania, who invariably gets sucked into controversies without her fault. When she initially left the decision to compete in Incheon on the All India Tennis Association, there was anger.
Within a few days, Sania changed her mind after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Time has flown since I won my first medal at the Asian Games at Busan 2002 at the age of 15. I now feel like a senior pro who's seen it all," added Sania with a broad smile.
This week, Sania will lose 900 ranking points as she will not be playing on the tour.
"I'm here and my focus is the Asiad. There is only so much one can do; it's great to have won that tournament (Tokyo) and I'm happy to be here. I'd take this decision again if I have to," added Sania.
So how difficult was it to change her mind?
"If it was difficult, I would not have been here right now. I don't have any of those emotions anymore. I'm here playing, and that's it. I don't like to look at what happened. I'm not a negative person and don't live in the past. I'm in the present - my present is pretty good right now," Sania stressed.
The win in Tokyo has given her immense confidence. In her own words, the last three weeks were "quite amazing."
"Every tournament is different, and events like the Asian Games are very different. There is a lot of emotion that goes into it. It's unfortunate that the top guys couldn't come, but we still have a decent shot. We'll be second seeds in the mixed and maybe four or five in the women's doubles," the lady said brimming with confidence.
But there are big question marks over Sania's partners in for doubles and mixed. Perhaps, she will get in a few good hitting sessions over the next two days and make up her mind. Or, with captain Anand Amritraj around, that should not be her concern.
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