When the queen of Indian tennis writes a book and the king of Bollywood launches it, it’s safe to say it’s going to be a bestseller.
Sania Mirza’s ‘tell-all’ autobiography, An Ace Against Odds will be out this month, marking one more achievement for the girl from Hyderabad who has become a remarkable woman of substance.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan launched the book at a ceremony in Hyderabad yesterday, paying glowing tributes to Sania. SRK said that like boxing legend Mary Kom and track and field star PT Usha, Sania was a role model for young people, especially girls in India, her life being an object lesson in how dreams can be achieved through true grit and determination.
Published by Harper Collins, the book is about Sania Mirza‘s journey to becoming one of the world’s top-ranking tennis players, detailing the hurdles she had to cross in her quest for excellence.
An Ace Against Odds also touches on Mirza’s personal life, candidly talking about her relationships with her parents, her friends, and her Pakistani spouse, cricketer Shoaib Malik to whom she says, refuting the media gossip, she’s ‘very happily married’.
Female icon that she is, Sania drove home her point about gender bias when a news anchor asked her when she would ‘settle down and have kids’. Sania’s amused grin made him realize his gaffe immediately, and he apologized, admitting he would never have asked a male athlete that question.
Kids and ‘settling down’ will come in their own sweet time when she’s ready for them, but for now the ‘Rani of Racket’ as SRK jokingly calls her, is focused on her next conquests on the tennis court.