Congrats ! Sania Mirza !!

Sania Mirza's message for youngsters
Melbourne, Jan 23: Sania Mirza hopes
that her performance at the Australian Open will inspire other women in India to
greater heights in the game

"This is the way I look at it: if I can do it, anyone can do
it, and I've had most of my training in India," said Mirza, who has become the
first woman tennis player from India to reach the third round of a Grand Slam
tournament.

Six-time Grand Slam winner and sixth-seed Serena Williams
beat Mirza 6-1, 6-4 in a keenly watched match at the third round of the
tournament last week.

India is yet to produce a world-class woman tennis player,
but that might be about to change with the emergence of 18-year-old Mirza.

Having broken into the world's top 200 women players in 2004,
Mirza hopes the impact of her performance at Melbourne Park will inspire girls
from all over India to strive for excellence on the tennis court.

"I'm sure and I hope that a lot of girls in India can get
motivated by this and now we do have a lot of talent coming up in India so I'm
sure it's going to help a lot of people," she told the tournament's official
website.

Asked about her experience at the Australian Open, she
replied laughing: "It hasn't been what I expected because I didn't expect to get
to the third round, so it's not really what I expected, it's been an
overwhelming experience."

"When I got here I just wanted to have a good draw, which I
did get. I got a wildcard in the first-round and I couldn't expect anything more
than that."

"Even though I was nervous and I got through that (first)
match against Cindy Watson of Australia, the second match I played a really good
match. She (Petra Mandula of Hungary) used to be top 30. I just had to go out
there and play my game, that's what I did."

"I mean, third round, obviously no-one expected me to win the
match; it's been a great experience and, for the first Grand Slam, I'm loving
it," said Mirza, who won the 2003 Wimbledon Junior Girls' doubles title.

"I was very happy with the crowd support; I didn't expect so
much actually. I saw a lot of Indians there, and it was packed. I didn't expect
that. I totally enjoyed every bit of the match and it really (was) a learning
experience for me," she explained.

Exactly how much of an impact Mirza's success at Melbourne
Park will have on tennis in India and around Asia probably won't be known for
some time. But the way she played, it is unlikely that she will need to rely on
wildcards much longer, the website said.