Hyderabad, July 07:Oh my God, it’s the Wimbledon title.’’ Hours after winning the girls doubles title at Wimbledon, 16-year-old Sania Mirza sounded dazed. Living the dream of every tennis player, she was waiting for the feeling to sink in. While tournament first-timer Sania made history on one of the side courts, the Centre Court too brought some good news for India. Leander Paes helped tennis legend Martina Navratilova win her record 20th Grand Slam title.

But Sania stood out at Wimbledon today. Besides the official tag of being the first female Grand Slam winner of the country, she also happens to be the first real ‘Made in India’ champion. There have been Grand Slam champions before, but unlike Paes and Bhupathi, who trained with foreign coaches abroad, Sania is India’s first genuine home-grown champ. From her early days in Hyderabad to the Wimbledon grass courts, Sania has been supported by that much-maligned system which finally seems to be delivering. The All India Tennis Association (AITA), Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad-based GVK Industries saw to it that the prohibitive expenses of a tennis pro never worried Sania. With AITA already on a high after the recent spate of good results shown by India’s girl band, Sania’s win today brought big smiles on the faces of officials. AITA development officer Sunil Yajaman was quick to point out that ‘‘the fact that Sania has played all her tennis on Indian soil and that we all were responsible for what she is today makes the moment more special.’’.

In faraway Hyderabad, at Banjara Hills’ House No 199 on Road No 12, there was much excitement. As TV cameras fought for space to capture the Mirzas watching the Wimbledon live on internet, there was chaos all around. Sania’s father, Imran, and younger sister, Aman, were surrounded by uncles, aunts, cousins and neighbours who cheered every time the screen was refreshed after Sania and her Russian partner, Alisa Klyebanova, scored a point. The decibel level almost brought the roof down when the screen finally showed the scoreline 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Despite the euphoria, nine-year-old Aman was visibly upset. Her regret: ‘‘Why don’t they telecast the match, I want to see how Sania looks with the Wimbledon trophy in her hands,’’ she said.

For that she will have to wait till Tuesday when Sania, along with her mother, Fathima, returns to a grand welcome.But didn’t they despair when Sania lost the first set? Father Imran insists they were ‘‘confident that she will fight back’’.

Excitedly, he adds, ‘‘she always does well when the chips are down, I know my daughter; she would never let go on a big occasion like this.’’

Big-time tennis is not something new for Sania and overcoming odds is almost routine for her.

Last year, partnering India’s doubles star Paes, she had won the bronze medal at Asian Games, and earlier this year she paired with French star Mary Pierce at a WTA event in Hyderabad.
There have been disappointments along the way. As a 14-year-old, she went to Pakistan to play her first ITF tournament. There she got the news of the Kandahar hijacking and got just two hours to pack her bags and leave for home.

So where does she go from here? Mahesh’s father, CGK Bhupathi, who took her under his wings last year, says, ‘‘Rather than upgrading her tennis, she should focus more on physical fitness, her second serve and her concentration. She should now play more on the WTA circuit.’’

Imran speaks like the doting father he is: ‘‘Dua karte hai ki inshaallah woh aur aage jae (I pray that she should a long way).’’