Hyderabad: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan launched the autobiography -- Ace Against Odds -- of world No. 1 women's doubles player Sania Mirza on Wednesday. Sania spoke to ABP News correspondent Kuntal Chakraborty exclusively after the launch of her book. Excerpts from the interview...


 

Why did she decide to write her autobiography at such a young age? Sania is 29 years old.

The process started around 6-7 years ago. As you know I have had a long career. I started very young and I have had enough experiences on and off the court. That’s why we thought I should start penning down things slowly, for surely. I am glad that I did because this is my story, directly from me and I feel very proud to express myself this way and share it with you all.

 

How is she preparing for the Rio Olympics?

I have always said that Olympic games are very important for us tennis players. We always dream of representing India and win medals. So, preparation would be as good as every other big tournament like Wimbledon or US Open. Actually, we will play in Canada. We will reach Rio 8 days before the Olympics. There we will start preparing, probably, from the 1st of August. And we will try to give our best. Hopefully, we will come back with a medal.

 

What does she think about playing with Rohan Boppanna in the Olympics?

Rohan and I know each other for a long time and we have played a lot together. Be it Grand Slam, IPTL or Hopman Cup. So, we have been playing together for a long time and there is no problem of understanding between us. We just need a little bit of practice that we will get in Canada.

 

Shah Rukh Khan launched her autobiography. How did she persuade him?

I am really grateful that he came to launch by book. I know how busy he is. We all are busy but we know he is very busy. I just had to give him one call and he said, ‘Of course, darling’. I know him for many years and he is a very good friend of mine and I am really grateful that he came. And if I win an Olympic medal, I don’t know what I will ask from him. I will think about it when I will win the medal.

 

How her husband Shoaib Malik and she help each other?

We both are kind of similar. We don’t accept defeat too easily. I think you have to be stubborn to be a professional and successful athlete. So, we both are stubborn. We don’t listen to others. We do what our heart says.