Sania Mirza Ecstatic With Roger Federer Pairing, Shines In Day 2 Of IPTL
India's top female tennis player Sania Mirza expressed her school girl enthusiasm of being paired with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer for the mixed double event of the International Premier Tennis League, or IPTL, India leg. The talented smashers form the home team Indian Aces and did not disappoint during Day 2 of the tournament by scoring their second straight win at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India.
The collaboration with Federer is a check mark in the bucket list of the 28-year-old Mumbai player who looks up to the currently ranked world no. 2 player in the world. Sania is hoping to capitalise on the pairing by learning more from the legend as well as pushing popularity for tennis in India, specifically the mixed double event.
"Well what do I say. It will be a huge honour to share the court with Roger. Really looking forward to performing in front of the home fans," said Sania per ND TV. Sania is representing table leaders Indian Aces in the four-team competition.
The tennis players have not been disappointed as close to 15,000 fans flocked the venue on the second day of the tournament. The 17-time Grand Slam winner and the local tennis sensation hogged the spotlight of the day by delivering a dominating performance against challengers Nick Kyrgios and Daniela Hantuchova, 6-0, to put the team on equal footing. Federer relayed that this is his fourth time to team up with a female player; his illustrious list of female athletes includes Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Sania and his wife, Mirka.
Sania, for her part, displayed a joyous mood as she was shooting two birds with one stone by playing alongside Federer and enticing her countrymen to take up tennis as a sport. The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medalist is hoping that the star power of the big names in tennis such as Hewitt, Federer and Sharapova will inspire the children of India to take up the sport and be the foundation of future competitions.