BY SCALDING Svetlana Kuznetsova at Wimbledon on Wednesday, Sania Mirza proved she is not all puff. But creditable as the performance was, it was also an opportunity lost. A flaky serve, a reluctance to come to the net and a heavy step denied Sania, who lost 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, an achievable victory on Centre Court. Sania led Kuznetsova 4-3, 40-0 in the first set, only to get broken. Had she held, she was in with a chance.
She was broken eight times and committed as many double faults. And not many of the serves that landed were Serena-esque. Now the volley issue. In the 237-point, three-set duel against Kuznetsova, Sania made just five trips to the net, all abortive.
"Over the last couple of days I got some knowledgeable people to watch Sania," Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania's mentor, said from London on Thursday. "The consensus is that she needs improvement in some areas like her serve. In women's tennis, your serve doesn't have to be your weapon. But Sania has to volley more."
Commentating on TV, Vijay Amritraj said, "She has to pay attention to her serve. Her ball toss is rather high, which can be bothersome on windy days. She also has to go forward on the short ball and make some volleys." Coach Mayur Vasant said Sania must move better. "She couldn't reach too many drop shots against Kuznetsova," he said. "She needs agility."