Ace against Odds

by Sania Mirza, Shivani Gupta

Currently ranked World No. 1 in women's doubles, Sania Mirza became an instant sensation when she won the Wimbledon Championships girls' doubles title at the age of sixteen. From 2003 until her retirement from the singles circuit in 2012, she was ranked by the Women's Tennis Association as India's top player, both in singles and doubles. A six-time Grand Slam champion, she notched up an incredible forty-one consecutive wins with her doubles partner, Martina Hingis, between August 2015 and February 2016.

Ace against Odds is the story of this most iconic Indian player who beat incredible odds to get to the top of her sport. Sania writes with candour of the hardships along the way, of the physical and emotional trauma caused by injuries and medical procedures, of the friends and partners who became her mainstay along with her family, of the pressures of constant public scrutiny and, not least, the politics and heartbreaks that inevitably accompany success.

Sania broke the rules, she spoke her mind, she pushed herself to the limit, she played for India fiercely and without care for how it might impact her rankings - she is and will continue to remain an inspiration long after she steps off the tennis courts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Biography, Autobiography

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2016

Reviews

[Aditya Lahoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice insight into the life of Sania Mirza. She is inspiration to many and through this book, we came to know about the unsung heroes in her life. First half of the book was good, later it was sort of bragging. but then again, she has earned the bragging rights.

[Anushka Mukherjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

no one ask me why I read Sania Mirza's memoir start to finish without ever having watched a single tennis match in my life

[Priyanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I am a big tennis fan and have extreme reverence for Sania for what she has achieved. Though I do believe that she could have achieved more in singles had she not focused on doubles so early in her career. But that's a personal opinion.

Back to the book - it is an interesting book. Some parts are obviously things you have read about Sania and tennis community in general. I liked the way her childhood is described and how beautifully her family has stood by her throughout her career. Small anecdotes from her junior years were nice. Last 2 chapters were slightly boring. But overall the book is an interesting read.

[Meenakshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed and really appreciated her drive effort in the first third of the book but then it became too much of a bragging book though she has bragging rights!!!

[Judaline Torcato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty Average.

[Shruti D · Rating 3 out of 5]

No question on what she has acheived, it is incredible. But having read other autobipgraphies, I found this one with an added tinge of arrogance.

[Raj Nandani ( Wrap the Fury) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book about Sania Mirza. beautifully written. Just loved it.

Edited:

This was the first autobiography that I have read by any sportsperson. And to tell you the truth, I loved this.

We all love all the focus these sports persons get, we also want to be like them or at least achieve the glamour they receive but what we all overlook is the struggle and effort they put into their performance.

Sania Mirza was one of my favorite sports person but after reading this book I come to know more about her life, her childhood, her struggles and the controversies which followed her throughout her career.

I loved the frank and open way in which she had expressed her life in the book. There are not much Tennis terms which I would not understand, thus even not being deeply into sports I found that i could connect to the book.

The language is easy to read and expresses the incidents that she wanted to convey perfectly. her struggles of childhood and the controversies that attached themselves to Sania has been discussed openly which only added to my respect towards her.

Her bonding with her husband, Shoaib Malik, is so cute and her faith towards her country is unquestionable. Just because she is a woman, she has faced several controversies regarding her dress up and appearances. Still she fought against all those odds and gave her best to us, to India.
She is an idol to follow, not only in game but also in life.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ace against the odds by Sania Mirza, Irfan Mirza and Shivani Gupta- autobiography- Foreword by Martina Hingis, Introduction by Mahesh Bhupati, Prologue by Sania Mirza. The book has 40 chapters. Chapter 1 First miss of my life- In January 1991, the Mirza family migrated from Hyderabad to Ohio USA, they returned back of India in February, 1992. Sania was interested in learning tennis and for this she had to join tennis class. The family was not affluent enough to invest. Chapter 2- Early lessons- At the age of 6, Sania joined swimming and tennis at Nizam Club, Hyderabad. She joined her old Nasr School and met her classmate Samia and her sisters. Her mother enrolled her for swimming, tennis and roller skating. They met Srikkanth, tennis coach and former national tennis player. She picked up tennis fast. Her mother accompanied her to the tennis stadium every day. Within seven years of regular practice, she developed confidence. Chapter 3- Getting a grip- Sania competed in various tennis competitions and improved her game. Chapter 4- The First Breakthrough- Mirza family did not have much money to travel, they tried to get rail concession tickets. Later, they travelled to competition by their car. Chapter 5- An Unforgettable experience- For being selected for Under 17 Tennis Tournament and represent India, Sania had to qualify at Guwahati Tennis Tournament. Journey from Hyderabad to Howrah was by train, journey from Calcutta to Guwahati was by Air. At Kharagpur Railway Station, they were informed that because of Railway-mens strike, the trains were not plying. They had to take a taxi to Calcutta facing the angry mobs of striking Rail-workers. When they reached the tournament ground, they were informed that a bomb has blasted on the way. Mirza family had passed that spot, 30 minutes earlier. Sania cooled down and in 5 days participated in the tournament and qualified for semi-final. They reached Hyderabad by Air and train. Sania was 12- year old at this point. Chapter 6- Junior High- Indian contingent had to fly to Jakarta for the AITA. Indian Junior circuit contingent included Sania Mirza, Sasha Abraham from Hyderabad, Isha Lakhani from Mumbai and Mayur Vasanth as coach. Indian contingent did well. Sania started performing and winning in North, South, East and West zone tennis tournaments. Soon Sania competed for US tennis competitions. Initially she did not qualify but later on practiced and achieved results. G V Krishna Reddy of GVK Laboratories sponsored for her journeys on the condition that she must win as a professional tennis player. Sania competed for Wimbledon at the age of 14 years and seven months. In June 2001, no international coach showed interest in coaching her. She won played against Julia Smith in court no 15 and won the title. Chapter 7 The African Safari- Sania had to qualify for US Open Juniors in September 2002. Before this participated in Africa Tennis visiting Cairo, Johannesburg, Botswana, Gaborone. She won both singles and double matches. Chapter 8- Playing for India- Sania won the ITF title held in Hyderabad in September. She was selected to represent India in Asian Games to be held in October 2002 in Busan, South Korea. Her age was 15 years and 11 months. She was rank no 1 of Indian squad. The Book has short 40 chapters in which she has mentioned events of her life. The author charms the reader to stick to the reading when she mentions media scanner on her activity. First, when she stood in Mecca Mazjid for some time during a shoot of advertisement, Second, Wimbledon team selection and her press release after she was part of Indian contingent representing India. Third, her marriage with Shoeb Malik, Captain, Pakistan Cricket team. Fourth, injuries to athletes, cures, operation by international medical experts. Fifth, Expectations of public and press. In the last chapter, she has mentioned her awards, encouraging letters and work done by her for the people (1) Arjuna Award (2004) (2) WTA Newcomer of the Year (2005) (3) Padma Shri (2006) (4) ]Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2015) (5) BBC list of 100 inspiring women (2015) (6) Padma Bhushan (2016) (7) NRI of the Year (2016) (8) In the year 2014, the government of Telangana appointed Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of the state. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao congratulated Sania Mirza on her being awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, . She was named in the Time magazine's 2016 list of 100 most influential people in the world. She has made an effort for equal opportunity for all. This is a good read book for all.

[Madhura Gurav · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of Sania's autobio fittingly describes her whirlwind career so far. In spite of all the flak she had to face at such a young age, she did not let it deter her from her pursuits. And she went on to win laurels for her country.

Being the No. 1 in the International circuit is no joke. This book sheds light on all sorts of struggle a sportsperson has to face to make it to the top! We realise just how much hard work Sania had to put in to reach where she is today.

It has been said that the bio may seem like it is full of bragging at some point. But, I would like to point out that if anyone has earned bragging rights, it's Sania! She has merely stated her achievements. If one reads impartially, I don't think they'll have a problem with the narrative.

Also, too much is said about writing autobiographies before the end of one's career. But, her fans, followers and other interested parties are more than interested in her stories! For those who're still apprehensive about this can read the book after she retires. :P

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic autobiography which covered almost all of Sania's very remarkable and needlessly controversial life. Sania and her parents have managed to produce a winner from a country with scant resources and few opportunities for girls in sports. But what impressed me most was Sania's resolve to compete and succeed as she battled her way through one pointless controversy after another, turning every bit of negativity into strength, very much like her aggressive game style, where she opted to go for aggression when facing pressure situations on court.

Sania is not only Indian but a Muslim who choose to play in a skirt. She is truly a great icon for modern Muslim girls pursuing their sporting dreams all over the world.

[Sayali Pathak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 star rating is just for the way this book read. But it is a 5 star story. My favorite part was when she was trying to "think whether Martina Hingis may or may not be the best choice for her to partner up with"! If that isn't success, what is? I am glad that the story of one of the very few female indian sports icons is now on paper and for every aspiring indian athlete to take inspiration from. It also points to the utter un-professionalism of indian media and how it can bring down a dreamer merely for a juicy story, which was very disappointing to read in detail about.
On the other hand, this book reeks of feminism, pride and patriotism, i love it!

[Jessica Swamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable story that captures the journey of Sania Mirza, a rising tennis star who while pursuing her passion and chasing her dreams didn't know she would not only be paving her way down in the history of sports in India but also revolutionizing the lives of young girls and women who wanted to pursue a career in sports and other off-beat profession. Every page of this book drips with tales of grit, determination and what it takes to reach a level where you represent your country internationally. Kudos to this well written biography which fell in my hands just at the right time!

[Vaishali Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written autobiography that takes you through the emotions as well as the numbers involved in the making of the world's no 1 tennis player (doubles). It's great to see up close and personal, a girl who has risen against a lot of odds, maintained a positive demeanor and kept a close knit family and friends circle. Glimpses of honesty mixed with correct dose of diplomacy come through this book clearly reflecting that Sania had the ability to make the right choices for herself. That includes selecting a sports writer/journalist to co-author her book!!

[Laxmi]

The autobiography of Sania Mirza is as brash as she is considered to be by the media. While there is much she has achieved in her career as a result of continuous efforts, the way those achievements are presented in this book seem just like stating the facts. There is not much effort put into storytelling by Shivani Gupta and as a result the book leaves you feeling tasteless.
There have been quite a few controversies Sania has been dragged into over the years and she clarifies most of them here.

[Teenu Vijayan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it 3.5.
it's always a pleasure to have a glimpse at the working of a champions mind.
I have always admired Sania and even though I don't understand tennis much, I enjoyed reading this book.
it's a book highlighting how she dared to dream and conquer it through sheer hard work and determination.
Such an inspiring read!!

[Anam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really amazing story of young Indian girl's story of grit and determination to become World No. 1 in tennis. Inspiring read but there were a lot of technical details which a lot of people unfamiliar with tennis may find redundant.

[Harman Singh]

Hopeless. I'm sure there's a fascinating story here and I really want to know more about it, but I think I'm better off using biographies written by better writers. Mirza sounds like a schoolchild writing an essay: a bunch of trite passages with the occasional wildly unnecessary heavy sentence.

[Prianka Gopinath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sania has been my life time inspiration since when I started playing tennis. This book is awesome and will always remain to be my favorite one😁

[Ayesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice book

[rohit gulati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring

Good motivation
Great stuff. Hard work. Good for kids who want to be professional sports people. Good for Indian girls.

[DG · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, though there were alot tennis technicalities, it was nice to read Sania’s story.

[Siddhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

she has always been a hero, and this book gives justice to her grace

[Vidya Srivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome autobiography.

[katezsz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3rd grand slam book of the year - read for wimbledon 🇬🇧

[Gracelinvidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sania Mirza! Truly amazing sportsperson! Her book- Ace against Odds talks about her journey
from a girl in Hyderabad to being World No. 1 in women's doubles tennis. The story line/ narration maintains a chronological order, however her story and all the hard work and struggles unwrap nicely which makes it an interesting read. I particularly liked the part where as a kid, she would play tennis tournaments in different cities in India and her matches and partnership with Martina Hingis.
I find the book title very apt too, since as you read the book, you start knowing Sania and the odds which she faced to make her dreams come true. Definitely a must read if you are a Sania Mirza fan.

[Avinash · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I finally finished this but honestly it felt more like a fangirl version of a biography than an actual autobiography. The initial quarter was decent enough, but after that it was more like newspaper's match and tour coverage than a book. Almost every match Sania has played is mentioned with the scoreline and there are special mentions of her each and every win over any top 50 or top 20 player in detail. It gets annoying after a point of time. Though we can't blame Sania for that because athletes may not know how to form a book, even if that's around their own life. They can only share the memories along with their on and off the field experiences and it's the responsibility of the writer to make a good book out of them, in which shivani gupta has failed miserably.
Anyways talking about sharing experiences off the field, Sania indeed has a number of them and mainly because of the controversies. She probably was involved in more controversies than any other indian athlete of her time but that doesn't necessarily mean that they all deserve a place in the book. But the writing/editing is so poor that they have not only mentioned the tiniest bit of controversy, but also have copy pasted few of the newspaper articles on those controversies which can be seen in the book. But sadly that's not the worst part, somehow they have managed to relate all those controversies to her religion/sex which feels crass, I mean this can be true up to certain limits but not always. Similarly every injury she has suffered from, and every match she ever played without 100% match fitness has managed to make it to the final book. Although it was good to know few of those things from her perspective but it still feels overdone.
Talking about the good parts, those unseen pictures from sania's own personal album and the childhood memories were pretty amusing as well as encouraging. Also the parts where she first met her childhood idol Steffi Graf and her wouldbe husband Shoaib Malik are some good reads. It's the small incidents like these which makes an autobiography more readable. All said and done you can read/buy the book just for the 1st indian women in tennis history who not only represented our country at the topmost level but also made all of us proud by becoming the world No.1 (not to mention she's holding that spot from last 88 weeks and looks good for a century) This book may or may not be an Ace against odds but Sania Mirza certainly is.

[amit deshpande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished reading this book recently. Couldn't control the urge to write on this work:-

In my opinion, it's too early for Sania to write an autobiography. A lot of tennis is still waiting for her. And millions of other fans like me are eager to see her on the court. Wining again and writing history!

But overall, this book is more of a sport journal. It lacks the story-telling, a very integral part of any book, completely.

Months after months, names of different players and tournaments. A hell lot of stats. But journey with this all, am sure, was much more than just numbers.

A early teen-aged girl waiting for her inclusion in Junior Nation team, after going through life- threatening experience in bomb exploding, rioting area and still reaching to Semis can't be just another day in life to cover in two pages.

On the other hand, the second part of the book is all about words and no dates. Sania reached no. 1 in doubles, fought hard to earn 'mother of all Grand Slams' with no mention of month or date. What a great achievement for Sania and for India!! But narration is all full of names of players and scores.

The other chapters in between seems more of her side of justification on several topics which she had managed to park aside so far. May it be the Fatwa or Charminar incident. Athletes are considered very strong in head as well as body but every now and then, as being human like any others, they also need strength to counter unwelcome days. But the book doesn't cover much of that!

All-in-all:- a girl who inspired millions of girls to take sport as life, the journey which brought many "first" to India, the only girl - irrespective of religion, place of birth - is loved by billions, decorated by many National and International awards - could have been written much better.

On Women tennis courts, Sania and India has been synonymous for long time. For me, she will always remain as darling, inspiring diva on court. The Great Sania from the Great India!!

P.S.:- I bought this book in pre-release cost and it's worth for one time.

[Ajit Shoora]

fde

[Safiya B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of Sania Mirza for many years and the main reason behind my buying this book was to get an insight into her thoughts and life that have not been revealed before. And in that respect, this book does complete justice.

The inception of tennis in Sania's life and how her childhood was consumed and revolved totally towards tennis was very beautifully explained by including anecdotes onto how the whole journey brought the family closer. It is definitely a delight for Sania fans but also a good look for athletes who are passionate and want to make big in their chosen field.

There are also a lot of details about all the matches she played and what really went on in her mind during those games. Not everyone might be interested in this part but it will help understand the game and its nuances better if you too are a layman at tennis like me.

Her name has always been muddled with controversies and it really is important to hear her side of the story after all that she has done for India. She writes about the great fervour and passion she feels in playing for and representing India, giving everyone a look into the depths of her patriotism.

The book is far from perfect but definitely worth picking up.

[B.Balasubramanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who does not follow Tennis, the book was informative. A sports person has very short active period and the demands of the game was mind blowing. The book has outlined the rise of Sania Mirza, the only women so far from India to raise to the highest level of the game. The injury and the demand to bounce back early is certainly a tremendous pressure on the players. Ofcourse the ugly side, with the media and the politics in the Tennis Federation (and among the men players) is a certain disgrace. There are some interesting anecdotes on the Swiss Player Roger Federer and the availability of Indian restaurants in every part of the world was interesting.

Honestly, the book will be more interesting for readers who have a decent understanding of the tennis game. For the sports media person, a must read to know, what you should not be doing at work.

Overall, it a nice book to read.