Award will inspire me to earn laurels for country: Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is on song. After having scaled the world tennis doubles peak last year, the Hyderabad lass has been pocketing points, trophies and awards as a matter of routine. The Padma Bhushan, the latest title conferred upon her by the Union government on Monday, has got the 29-year-old understandably excited.

“It’s truly a humbling experience to be honoured with the Padma Bushan,” Sania said from Melbourne where she is currently playing the season’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open.

Having put India at the top of world tennis, she pledged to punch harder on the gruelling circuit. “This award will inspire me to earn more laurels for my country,” Sania said.

She duly marched ahead on the court — Sania and Martina Hingis defeated Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-3 on the day to make the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“I hope this will motivate young players in the country and go a long way in promoting tennis in India,” Sania, who received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna last year, said.

Sania has had a stupendous 2015. She became the first Indian woman to rise to no.1 in the world rankings (singles or doubles), and won 10 WTA doubles titles to go with two Grand Slams, a record for any Indian woman player.