Sania, Shoaib Malik inaugurate tennis academy in Ranchi

RANCHI - Tennis ace Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, inaugurated a state-of-the-art tennis academy here on Thursday.

The tennis academy has come up on the premises of the international cricket stadium, set up by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).

Sania Mirza inaugurated the academy in the presence of Jharkhand’s Chief Minister Arjun Munda.

Mirza said she hoped that the state would produce eminent sportspersons like Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after more such sports facilities came up.

“I thank you all for coming here. I played for an hour here at the new court. The courts are very well made. As a tennis player and as a sportsperson, I would hope and pray that more sportspersons and cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni can come up from small places like these, where sports like tennis are not that popular,” said Mirza.

Munda said that the tennis academy would provide a platform for upcoming sportspersons in the region.

“The sportspersons in this region are feeling elated and I am hopeful that after playing in these tennis courts the players can achieve name and fame like Sania Mirza,” said Munda.

The turf for the tennis court has been imported from New Zealand and the entire academy has come up at the cost of rupees 4 million.

Sania Mirza and husband Shoaib Malik also played a friendly match with the onlookers. By Girija Shankar Ojha (ANI)