Fired up by Sania Mirza's Grand Slam glory, Shikha Uberoi says India fortunes at the Fed Cup, the symbol of supremacy in women's tennis, would get a big boost in the coming days.
A US resident of Indian origin, Shikha who recently earned the right to play under India flag, says she is thrilled by the prospect of playing for India at the WTA Hyderabad Open commencing at Hyderabad on Monday.
"I have always been passionate about playing for India, It's always in my heart," the 21-year-old said.
Shikha, entered as wild card here, said she was "fired up" watching Sania make history at the Australian Open last month.
"She did it, I can do it also. I am not surprised by Sania's performance at all as she is a good player. She deserves to achieve what she has achieved. I am proud of her," says Shikha, trained by Venus Williams' former coach Rick Macey in Florida.
"Absolutely," Shikha replied when asked if India's prospects had improved at Fed Cup, with Sania, herself and Ankita Bhambri doing national duty.
"Depth in women's tennis in India has increased. We need to continue to inspire younger players to play tennis and pick up from where Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi left off".
Shikha also revealed that she planned to move out of the US sometime in near future while stressing on the need for tennis players in India to be given opportunities to go abroad and play big tournaments.
The player, who happens to be the cousin of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, said she had an "incredible" 2004 and her personal goal this year was to break into the top 100.
Shikha, whose father hails from Hyderabad, the home town of Sania, started playing tennis in the US when she was seven.
In her Grand Slam debut at the 2004 US Open, Shikha defeated world number 56 Saori Obata and led 4-1 over Venus Williams in the second round before going down 5-7, 1-6.
Meanwhile, former world number four Jelena Dokic of Serbia said she is yet to gain full fitness but would take part in the Hyderabad Open.
Her game-plan was to take part in as many smaller tournaments as possible on her mission to break into the top 50 again. Winner of five WTA titles and known for her fighting spirits, she is currently ranked 126.
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