Amritraj asks fans to be patient with Sania

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) Sania Mirza's yo-yoing form notwithstanding, former Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj insists there is nothing to worry and he urged fans not to jump the gun but to wait for the full season to get over and then pronounce the verdict on the Hyderabadi.

Here as a Hutch Delhi Half Marathon brand ambassador, the suave tennis star of the yesteryear was all praise for Sania.

''It is very tough out there and she has done remarkably well in the last three-four years. Now she needs support from all quarters to keep going. I would ask people not to go by her performance in a tournament. Rather, wait for the full season to get over,'' he told reporters today.

''She has done a brilliant job and inspired a whole generation of youngsters, which is fantastic for women's tennis in the country,'' he said.

Amritraj admitted Sania has been inconsistent but argued she was not the first player to struggle with the problem.

''Consistency has always been an issue in tennis, or any other sport for that matter. Not everyone is like an Infosys or Wipro that the graph would go up and up. It is important to look at one whole season. I think if you do well in five-six tournaments a year, that's quite good,'' he explained.

He also refused to read much into the fact that Sania beat Martina Hingis in Seoul and then lost to a lower-ranked player in Tashkent.

''Frankly speaking, I don't see any problem with her. Yes she has had some defeats against lower ranked players but again, she is not the first player to suffer that. None questions Rafael Nadal when he lost to a lowly player.

''But yes, you have to play better in bigger tournaments because points are heavily loaded in (Grand) Slams, Masters and Tier-I tournaments,'' he added.

Amritraj, who led India to two Davis Cup finals, however, kept mum on Mahesh Bhupathi's refusal to play for the country.

The part of the famed ABC of tennis, along with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, Amritraj admitted the gap was huge between Sania and the rest and it was the same scenario with the youngsters who would have to fill the void once Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi quit the game.

''But you have to be a decent singles player first, only then you can hope of making it big in doubles. Look at the doubles events today, it's the same singles guys playing there,'' he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Amritraj was happy with the progress of his Davis Cupper son Prakash but rued injury denied him a full season this year.

''He is progressing well but unfortunately he has not been able to play the entire season owing to injury. But you have to live with that. What I really like about (Roger) Federer is his ability to keep going without being hurt.

''Anyway, we, the Indians, tend to mature little late, which is fine, for that gives longevity. But Prakash has no comparison when it comes to passion and at times, I have to hold him back so that he doesn't hurt himself,'' he added.

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