Sania Mirza inaugurates tennis institute for children under eight
Mirza strongly believes that preparation for sports should start at a young age
February 07, 2017
Bringing her mother’s idea to life, tennis star Sania Mirza on Monday evening inaugurated a tennis academy for children under eight years of age.
The Hyderabad, India-based SMTA Grassroot Level Academy aims to offer tennis training classes for kids aged 3-8.
Mirza strongly believes that preparation for sports should always start at a young age, since practice makes perfect, and long years of coaching are necessary for playing professionally. She herself used to train hard before she was even 10 years old.
The sports icon stated, “This is for the grass-roots level of kids because tennis today is too competitive, it is important to start early because when you are eight or nine-years-old it's already too late,” the player stated, FirstPost reported.
Mirza said that the academy will help children get the feel of racquets and how to hit a tennis ball. “As a tennis player I had a lot of difficulties knowing what to do and where to go as a child and how much to practice,” she said.
The project is the second of its kind, after the introductory Sania Mirza Tennis Academy (SMTA). “It is actually my mother and her friend's idea and obviously we support it,” she said.
Since the institute is situated near Mirza’s residence, she intends to visit and teach often. She mentioned that lessons will start slow, and build up in momentum.
“Here we are going to play with softballs, which is easier for kids to play with. It will be with colourful balls, which will make it more attractive for the kids to play.”
Recently, Sania Mirza also made an appearance in Koffee with Karan, where she talked marriage. The star, who is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, denied possibilities of a divorce brought up by Indian media.
