'Sania Mirza Superstar': Sports documentary profiles Indian's rise from young hopeful to role model

Sania Mirza’s inspirational journey to the top of the women’s doubles game will be featured in a documentary as part of a series on Eurosport called Sports Insider. Sania, along with co-number one Swiss Martina Hingis, begins her quest for the ‘Santina Slam’ at this year’s French Open. The profile, which is titled Sports Insider: Sania Mirza Superstar, follows Sania through the first half of the 2016 season, playing at the Miami Open and Mutua Madrid Open with Hingis. “To dream of becoming a professional tennis player, being a girl from that side of the world, we were fighting one billion odds, because it had never happened before!” Sania says in a teaser for the documentary post by WTA Tennis website. It also profiles her time in India, showcasing how she juggles off-court activities like commercials and appearances with her training and practice schedule. The most popular female tennis player in India, Sania uses her influential presence for social causes as well. She is the first South Asian Woman to be appointed as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. A celeb in her own right, she usually spends her time in India with Bollywood stars and other high-profile personalities. On her most recent visit, she met Apple CEO Tim Cook at Shah Rukh Khan’s residence Mannat.On court, she recently won the Italian Open with Hingis, ending a three-month title drought. The title has been a great boost for the Indo-Swiss pair ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season. They currently hold all the other three Slams and are aiming to win the elusive one in Paris. This season, they were knocked out early at both Miami and the Indian Wells and the documentary could be an interesting insight into how they have bounced back. During the clay season, apart from the Rome title, they also made two finals in Stuttgart and Madrid. The short film will premiere on Eurosport on Friday, 20 May at 2:30 pm IST, just before the French Open Draw Ceremony.