MELBOURNE: The Australian Open tagline of ‘The Story Starts Here' rings true for Sania Mirza. That was 18 years ago. The Hyderabadi was 18 then and had made the third round of the women's singles, where she played the legendary Serena Williams.
Back then, the John Cain Arena was called the Vodafone Arena. A young Indian girl with a wardrobe full of statement tees was yet to deliver her best lines. Sania may have taken only five games off the American that summer weekend, but when the teenager left the stadium that day, she walked away with a sense of belief that has been her constant companion since.
