Determined to give it her best shot in front of her home crowd, Indian favourite Sania Mirza said she would take pain-killers while playing at the WTA Hyderabad Open as her sore ankle is yet to heal.
The 18-year-old said she had been looking forward to this event for a "very long time" and was keen to showcase her skills in her home city even as top women players of tennis world have assembled for the event.
"I am much better. My ankle is 60 per cent healed. I will be playing with pain-killers as I want to give 100 per cent and I don't want to play bearing the pain. I want to give 200 per cent here. At the Australian Open, the pain was lot," said Sania, who became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of any Grand Slam event.
Asked if she is not worried that her ankle injury would get aggravated, Sania said sometimes one needs to take risks.
"I am keen to play in Hyderabad," said Sania.
Currently ranked 132 in the world after losing to Serena Williams in third round of the Australian Open, Sania is slated to take on Delia Sescioreanu of Poland in the first round of the singles event.
"I have not heard of her," she said, when asked about her opponent.
If she clears the first hurdle, Sania is set to meet fourth seed Jie Zheng of China in the second round.
In the doubles, Sania will play to defend her title, this time in the company of Shikha Uberoi.
Sania, who is bound to enliven the Hyderabad courts, is not resting on her laurels.
"Last year is gone. Present is important."
The Wimbledon girls' doubles champion of 2003 said she is taking into her stride the heightened media attention after the historic feat at the recent Australian Open.
"I opted for it. I am not complaining (against the media). I do enjoy media attention to a certain extent," she said.
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