Mumbai: After a high in 2013, ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Saturday said she will "start fresh" and look to extend her unbeaten run along with Zimbabwean partner Cara Black in the women's doubles competition, next season.
"I have had a very good year and you try to outdo yourself every year. That is basically the plan every year but you have to put it behind with the new season starting, so you have to start fresh again," Sania told reporters on the sidelines of the ITPA Tennis Doubles Masters event.
"Me and Cara haven't lost a match, we won the three tournaments we played. We are looking forward to our new partnership. She was in Hyderabad practising with me. We are really excited about it. We are doing the right things." For the mixed doubles, the Hyderabadi will be partnering Romanian Horia Tecau in the Australian Open and she said she will be leaving on January 2 night to Australia to participate in Sydney tennis tournament prior to the Australian Open.
Asked whom she will be partnering for the Asian Games next year, Sania said: "That is a long time (away). As tennis players we play 25 weeks a year, we have to worry about four grand slams much before we worry about everything else. "I have always said I am always on national duty and whenever or whoever needs me to play with I have played in the past and I will play in the future as well."
In a bid to prolong her career, Sania had decided to play only doubles and asked if she would play in the singles format at the Asian Games, she said: "One can't predict what is going to happen one year from now in Asian Games in October. If my body feels well, I might just play. But at the moment it is unlikely."
Sania frequently changed her partners this season where she won five titles. Asked about her best doubles partner, she said: "Every partner has a share of goods and bads but once you get along with most people that is when you form a good partnership and it depends on your chemistry. It will be unfair to name one person."
"Bethanie (Mattek-Sands) has been my best friend on tour and off it. So it is lot of fun to play with her. We had some great results a well. Unfortunately due to her health we had to stop playing," Sania said.
"But I have a good partnership with Cara and we get along. More than that she is too experienced. She has done it all. Be it number one in the world, she has won grand slams, so I learn a lot from her as well. She is extremely humble. At the moment I will have to say Cara Black because I am playing with her," she added.
Indian Tennis Players Association (ITPA) shared it's plans for the next one year to enhance the performance of players on tour in 2014, which includes providing a physiotherapist and a fitness trainer through the year.
"Today we had an executive committee meeting and we have chalked out the plan for the next 12 months. First step is to find ways to enhance players who are playing on tour this year or rather 2014 help them out. One of the things we are going to do is get them a physiotherapist and a fitness trainer to travel with them through the year," the Association's vice-president Mahesh Bhupathi said.
"The second is mentoring junior. The third is having events such as this to not only raise funds but also find what is going to get ITPA to be able to do what we want to, also support all these players and all these juniors that we kind of want to mentor," the veteran said adding that they also have plans for training camps. The Association had come up in April after 11 top players revolted against AITA, demanding better playing conditions.
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