BH CORRESPONDENT, Mumbai: It has been an eventful return for Sania Mirza after embracing motherhood and giving birth to baby boy Izhaan, by winning the very first doubles title in January 2020 after nearly a two year break from the sport. The Doubles title at the WTA Hobart International 2020 with her Ukranian partner Nadiia Kichenok also cemented the fact that she has put in the hard yards to be back at 100% and begin her second innings right from the point where she left it.
The winner of six grand slam titles and Padma Bhusan recipient, recently watched Being Serena on Discovery Plus and couldn’t resist herself from relating to Serena after watching the documentary – an eloquent tale of the very best in women’s tennis overcoming all hurdles to make a comeback to supremacy on court while trying to strike a balance with her role as a mother.
Sania, who has had a similar journey over the past two years and has seen the US-based women’s tennis legend from the close quarters, went on to pen an open letter to share her own emotions of motherhood and what it takes to defy all odds and make a comeback to the sport they both love. She also dedicated the letter to all ‘Mothers’ who are faced with similar dilemmas in their everyday life.
In the open letter – “An Ode to All Mothers”, Sania said: “Pregnancy and having a baby made me a better person.”
“Pregnancy is something that I had experienced for the first time in my life. I thought about it and I think we all have a certain picture about it but once you experience it, you really understand what it means. It absolutely changes you as a human being.”
Later came the part to overcome the physical obstacles and get back to her earlier self to make a comeback to the court.
Mirza said, “Getting back to shape and form after pregnancy can be a challenge and I can relate to Serena and every other woman on that. I think it’s normal for everyone because you don’t know how your body is going to react post-pregnancy and during pregnancy.”
Lastly, the Indian tennis star while depicting her transformation journey and the sheer joy of being on court said, “Having put-on around 23kgs during my pregnancy, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get back to being fit and playing tennis again. However, I lost around 26 kilos with a lot of workout regimes and very strict diets and came back to tennis because that’s what I know, love and do. Finally, when I won at Hobart after coming back it was pretty amazing. I was honestly very proud of myself to have been able to put myself to compete at the highest level again and I think that’s where I was mentally.”
. @serenawilliams your story has inspired me to pen this letter. The #BeingSerena documentary echoes my experience and of women worldwide who everyday balance family and personal goals.
If you are in India, you can catch Being Serena on @DiscoveryPlusIn pic.twitter.com/Xlu9q8vEKb
— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) November 25, 2020
