By scalding Svetlana Kuznetsova on Wednesday, Sania Mirza proved she is not all puff. But creditable as the performance was (Sania could reward herself with more of those one-liner T-shirts), 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. "The consensus is that she needs improvement in some areas like her serve. But then, Elena Dementieva made 17 double faults in her match and still won. 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 and former player Mayur Vasant said Sania must move better. "She couldn't reach too many drop shots against Kuznetsova," he said. "She needs agility."
{{/usCountry}}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 and former player Mayur Vasant said Sania must move better. "She couldn't reach too many drop shots against Kuznetsova," he said. "She needs agility."
{{/usCountry}}Sania later said she had a lower-abdominal tear. That could have been responsible for some problems. Even taking that into account, experts feel she must tighten up her game. "Given the top level coaching she has received, I am surprised her serve hasn't strengthened," said coach Chandrasekhar, who was with her when she won the junior Wimbledon doubles in 2003.
Said Vasant, "Her serve is better than it was six months ago. But she needs more snap in her first serve and spin in her second. Jumping into her serve could also help."
Sania is not the first Indian to have an average serve. Ramanathan and Ramesh Krishnan, Jaideep Mukherjea and Leander Paes wouldn't have counted the stroke as their weapon. Was a powerful server born? Or can a player, in this case Sania, be transformed into one? "I don't know if she will become a big server," said Bhupathi. "But she can become a better one."