Indian tennis diva Sania Mirza' journey has been an inspiration to almost every player, including Gujarat’s Ankita Raina.

The trendsetting and path-breaking Hyderabadi went on to win six Grand Slam titles in a glittering career.

Indian tennis diva Sania Mirza has no doubt in her mind that the National Games had given her international career a major boost.

“I was just 16 years old when I took part in the Games in 2002. I did well and came into the limelight. It proved to be the perfect impetus for my international career,” Sania said.

The trendsetting and path-breaking Hyderabadi went on to win six Grand Slam titles in a glittering career.

But before that, she had played plenty of tennis in India, starting nearly two decades back. From the junior nationals in Delhi to the National Games and then the WTA tournaments in Hyderabad.

Indian tennis diva Sania Mirza' journey has been an inspiration to almost every player, including Gujarat’s Ankita Raina.