LONDON: On a chilly, overcast afternoon, Sania Mirza arrived at the Aorangi Park, the practice venue attached to the All England Club, much like a warm summer blast. Dressed in sunshine yellow, body-hugging exercise gear, the solitaires on her ears sparkled just like the rock on her ring finger. Her face lifted with laughter that touched her eyes.
"I've been a wife for a week," she said, pointing to the time spent with her Pakistani cricketer husband Shoaib Malik, during the just concluded Champions Trophy in England. "It was nice," Sania said, summing up her WAG experience. "Very relaxing. You're not pushing yourself or rushing around. It's really a long, long way from the life of a pro-athlete."
"When you are competing everything pretty much revolves around you," she said.
"It is always about what you want to do. About how you're feeling, when you want to practice, etc,.. It was nice to be there for my husband, watching him play and preparing for a match. You take a backseat, put things together and just be there for the other person. It helps that I'm also a competitive sportsperson, we can relate to circumstances, situations, highs and lows." The 26-year-old Hyderabadi, who likes to keep pace with the new styles and trends in the fashion world, said she couldn't ever just be a WAG.
"No offence meant to the WAGs," she said laughing, "I'm sure it takes hard work to look that good. You know the make-up and hair and clothes, it's time consuming. But even if I wasn't a competitive athlete, I would've had a career, something that would've engaged my brain."
The top-draw doubles pro, who will play Wimbledon alongside veteran pro American Liezel Huber, picked designer labels Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Diesel for her cricket outings. The pick of her off court choices was a slim-fit, high-wasted, long-flowing skirt which she paired with a formal white blouse.
"It was a fun, I enjoyed dressing up," Sania said, "I don't use any make-up when on court. Some players use a lot of make-up when they play matches, not me. When I'm out otherwise, I like trying out stuff, new eye make-up, different colours and textures. Same with clothes, I like experimenting. I'm not one for safe choices." |
