Aryna Sabalenka a mix of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova: Sania Mirza

CHENNAI: Sania Mirza knows a thing or two about fighting back in the final set and going on to win the title. Down in the 2015 Wimbledon doubles final, she, along with Martina Hingis, clawed her way to victory, becoming the first Indian woman to lift the trophy.


For the 39-year-old, Carlos Alcaraz’s wondrous victory over Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open semifinals on Friday was the kind of performance that truly defines a champion. In a tete-a-tete with TOI, Sania spoke about Alcaraz’s ability to bounce back, the controversy around the medical timeout that upset Zverev, and why Aryna Sabalenka looks like the player to beat in the women’s final.



Excerpts:
What kind of mental fortitude did it take for Alcaraz to battle cramps and still come through victorious?
That’s why he’s the No. 1 player in the world. At the end of the day, a question is asked as to why Zverev has not won a Grand Slam, while you have Alcaraz who’s much younger and has won so many already. The fact of the matter is that the kind of tennis and the kind of heart that Alcaraz showed, even though he was not physically fully able, is truly incredible. You don’t come out of matches like this without courage and grit that he has shown. It is definitely something that defines a champion.

Zverev was visibly upset about the medical timeout Alcaraz took and even accused officials of “protecting two players (Alcaraz and Sinner)”. Was that just the heat of the moment, or was there any truth to it?
It’s understandable that he was annoyed. Obviously, there are certain grey areas when it comes to cramping...where you’re not allowed to get certain amount of treatment for cramps and stuff like that. But the fact of the matter is that there was nothing Alcaraz did that was outside the rules. That said, you can understand the frustration Zverev felt because Alcaraz took a medical timeout before Zverev’s serve. There’s an tennis etiquette that a player takes a medical timeout before his own serve rather than his opponent’s. So you can understand where Zverev was coming from.

How difficult will it be for Alcaraz to recover in time and be ready for the final?
I think now his entire energy is going to go into trying to recover, because that is the most important thing at this stage. How do you recover from something like this? Because the job is not done yet. But at the end of the day, I feel he is somebody who will find a way to recover. And I definitely believe, even more now, that he is going to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

How much has Alcaraz’s remodelled serve helped him, especially on hard courts?
There’s more pop on his serve with the remodelled action. There’s more of an action change that he has done...he holds it a little longer at the bottom before he reaches it at the highest point. It is definitely helping him win a few more freer points on serve.

What are your thoughts on Sabalenka’s dominance and how close is this version of her to the standard Serena Willams once set?
I think she’s a good mix of Serena and Maria Sharapova – in terms of her strokes, the power, the commitment, and the grunting, all of that together. But definitely, for how dominant she’s been over the last couple of years, it’s hard not to think of her as someone who could go into double digits in Grand Slams. I think it’s still too early to say whether she’s going to do what Serena did to the game. But I definitely think she does have glimpses of that because of the kind of raw power that she brings.

How do you see the Sabalenka- Elena Rybakina final playing out?
I think that if there is somebody in the draw who can beat Sabalenka, I think it’s Rybakina. That’s because ball for ball and pound for pound, Rybakina can match Sabalenka. She probably has the best serve in the women’s game. She hits the ball really big and flat. She plays really well and hits a big ball. So I do feel that Rybakina does not go into it without a chance, especially because she is also a Grand Slam champion. But just going by recent form, I would think Sabalenka is going to win.

There have been some concerns around player privacy at the Aus Open. What’s your take on it?
Consent is a very big thing in this. I’m not saying that because we are public figures we shouldn’t be photographed or that there shouldn’t be cameras. But for Coco, it was a vulnerable moment and if the cameras are on, maybe consent is something that can be looked at.

(Watch the Australian Open 2026 Women's Singles Finals on 31st January and Men's Singles Finals on 1st February 2026 live, 2 PM onwards on Sony Sports TEN 2 Channels & livestream on Sony LIV.)


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