'Sania Mirza is a legend, an idol', says Maaya Rajeshwaran after W35 Lagos title win

New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) India's teenage tennis player Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi believes her maiden professional singles title is only the beginning of her journey on the senior circuit, while maintaining that there can be no question of surpassing former world No. 1 doubles player Sania Mirza, whom she continues to idolise.

The 17-year-old announced her arrival on the professional circuit with a remarkable double-title triumph at the W35 Lagos tournament in Nigeria, winning the singles crown without dropping a set in the main draw after partnering Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Kotliar to the doubles title.

The 17-year-old beat Spain’s Celia Cervino Ruiz 6-4, 6-2 in the final to become the youngest Indian woman to win a W35 singles title, breaking a record held by Sania Mirza for 22 years.

Asked about surpassing Sania, one of India's most accomplished tennis players, Maaya was quick to dismiss the comparison, emphasising the legacy the former Grand Slam champion has left behind for the next generation.

"Well, I don't think you can actually surpass her, you know, because she's a legend and she'll always remain a legend," Maaya told IANS during a virtual interaction with the media.

"So I think it's just that I still do look up to her in a lot of ways because I think she was the idol when I was growing up in the country and she's someone who's made tennis visible in the country after so many years," she added.

Maaya, who has followed Sania's journey through interviews and podcasts, said she had not interacted with the tennis icon extensively but hoped to learn from her experience.

"But I haven't really spoken to her that much. But I wish I could.

But otherwise, yeah, I still look up to her, hear all her podcasts, hear all her interviews. And yeah, I think with Sania, she'll remain a legend and she'll forever be my idol," she said.

It was a huge step for the teenager as she navigated her way up through the ranks of the game. Ranked as world no. 1038 prior to the tournament, Maaya qualified for the main draw, then earned a win against number one seed, Justina Mikulskyte in the first round before further success over higher-ranked players.

She completed her fairy-tale run when she defeated Spain's Celia Cervino Ruiz 6-4, 6-2 in the summit clash to win the maiden title on the pro circuit. The Indian, who had also partnered Kotliar to win the doubles title after a 0-6, 6-2, 10-7 win over China's Min Liu and Italy's Carlotta Moccia.

Even with the breakthrough, Maaya downplayed the magnitude of what she had achieved, noting it was a confidence-building experience.

"I think this is just sort of a start because it's the first title.

And it's a good sign to start off the pro career. It's a good start for sure," she said.

"But I don't think this is going to make that big of a deal, you know, because it's just a start. And now it's just a confidence that, you know, a confidence that I've given myself that I can compete better. So, you know, probably I'll carry the confidence into the tournament that I'm going after. But it just starts here," she added.

The teenager said she entered the Lagos tournament without expectations, an approach that helped her focus on her game rather than the rankings or the quality of her opponents.

"Well, yeah, first of all, just like you mentioned, first one's always special and lots of sweet memories this week. Yeah, I just, you know, for me, it just felt like another tournament, to be honest, because I've been competing for a while now," she said.

"As a qualifier, I just tried to do as much as I could and went my way."

Reflecting on her unbeaten run in the main draw, Maaya said the experience reinforced her belief that results at the professional level often depend on who performs better on a particular day.

"I think, first of all, I came in with no expectations. Won a round in the qualifiers and I was set up to play the top seed in the first round. And, yeah, I think I just went out there, tried to play as good as I can because I think I was the underdog in this tournament," she said.

"So I just tried to play as good as I can and watched a few matches. You know, everyone plays good over a certain point. If you're playing pro tournaments, I think everyone plays a decent level. And I think when you step on the court, it really matters who plays better that day."

Maaya's opening-round victory over Mikulskyte was particularly memorable, as she recovered from a 0-5 deficit in the first set to win it 7-5 before taking the second 6-1.

Recalling the comeback, the Indian revealed that a glance at the clock prompted an unusual thought that helped her stay in the contest.

"No, it's going to be super funny because I didn't start very well. And she's definitely a really good player. And a lot of things were going on. And 0-5 changed how I looked at the clock.

There's a clock on court," she said.

"So I looked at the clock and it was, I think, 25 minutes into the match. And the first thing that came into my mind is I'm not losing a set in 25 minutes. So I just tried to stay. I just tried to play at one point at a time. And just stay alive in the set as long as I could."

The turnaround, she said, gave her the momentum to take control of the second set.

"First of all, if I'm taking a set from 0-5 down, I think that plays a part.

The momentum was with me and I just tried to keep going the way that I was. Not changing anything. Just trying to focus on basic things that helped me win the first set," she said.

Maaya also credited the experience of competing in junior tournaments, where players regularly participate in both singles and doubles, for helping her manage the demands of a packed schedule in Lagos.

"I think the good thing of playing juniors is that you're used to competing this way.

You know, when you play juniors, you play singles, doubles every week. And, you know, and then you're used to it by the time you have the transition into the pro," she said.

She added that physical recovery remained a priority throughout the week, with stretching, nutrition and rest helping her cope with the workload.

"I've been stretching well. I'm physically perfectly fine. And so far, nothing has happened, touch wood, and nothing would ever happen, hopefully.

So I've been just trying to recover as much as possible, stretching well, trying to get some good food, and trying to stay out of the clothes after the match," she said.

The teenager, who trains at Elite Tennis Centre (ETC) in the south of France, also spoke about her association with Spanish great Rafael Nadal's academy, which she left a couple of months ago to pursue what she described as the best option for her development.

Maaya clarified that she was no longer training at the Rafa Nadal Academy and had joined ETC around the time of the US Open.

Asked about her experience of being around Nadal, she described the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion as an inspiring presence whose experience could benefit young players preparing for major tournaments.

"I think he's a really inspiring person to have around in the first place," she said.

"I think he's got that aura to inspire people just with his presence. And he used to talk to players before we go to slams or before major tournaments. And, yeah, he's always a very motivating person."

Maaya also recalled spending time on court with Nadal's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, during the summer of last year.

"There were a few things that he had told the coaches that I had to work on. And we were going towards it. And, yeah, I spent some time with Toni Nadal on court. I think summer last year. Yeah, summer last year. And, yeah, it was nice," she said.

"It was good. And, you know, just that, you know, people go on about their things. And all he says about is about his experiences.

And because when we enter the slams, it's just that he's the man with the most amount of — not the man, but I think one person with the most amount of experiences. And I think, yeah, he lets us know on what to look out for and what to try out."

Maaya acknowledged that her junior Grand Slam performances this year had not been up to her expectations but said she was focused on learning from those experiences rather than dwelling on the results.

"On the charts, definitely the performances weren't as good as I wanted it to be.

But just like I said, I think it's all lessons you learn and it's all things that you see on the road," she said.

"All I can do is I can try to improve, try to do better and try to get probably better results in the next slams. But, you know, it's not, I'm not really starting to expect right now. So I wish I could have done better for sure, but that's behind me now."

Looking ahead, the teenager said she wanted to compete more regularly in professional tournaments and improve her ranking to gain entry into bigger events.

She also plans to spend time strengthening her physical conditioning and making technical improvements during the coming months.

"For the first part, I think I haven't changed much because I think as a player, there's always something to work on. There's always something to improve technically, mentally, physically. So I've just been trying to improve all parts of me as a person, as a player, everything possible that would help me on court," she said.

"I think over a certain period, things would come together. You know, sometimes it's not there, but over a certain point when you keep putting in the work, things will start coming together. And I think that's when it makes the difference. You wouldn't know when, but, you know, I think that's the beauty of the sport."

For now, Maaya is focused on building the confidence gained from her Lagos triumph and translating it into consistent performances against stronger opposition.

"I think one important thing is that I really have to trust myself more to be more confident in myself because, you know, you're never there. There's always something to work on. There's always something to... But when you deliver a certain level and just that when you step on court next time, I just want to feel like, you know, I can do it. I can actually do better and I can actually be there," she said.

"And that sort of confidence is developed in this week for sure, which wasn't there before."

While the teenager has another year of junior eligibility remaining, she expects to play more professional tournaments alongside the junior Grand Slams. She is also open to competing at the Chennai Open if she receives a wild card.

Her immediate priority, however, remains steady improvement rather than setting rigid targets.

"I think that's how most of the tournaments that I'm going to play is going to be. I'm just going to go and try to give my best, see what happens.

I don't think you can actually decide earlier on you want to win this tournament or whatever," she said.

"So just that I want to go play and enjoy, have fun on court and see how it goes."

--IANS

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