After winning the French Open (doubles) title along with Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza Malik shares her joy in an exclusive tete-a-tete The young lady has once again silenced her detractors, who were ready to write her off as a 'has been.' After lifting her maiden French Open (doubles) title, along with Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania is obviously very happy, but she's also quite focused on goals ahead. She talks about her favourite player, marital responsibilities and more in a rendezvous with us...

This is your second Grand Slam win along with Bhupathi and people would like both of you to continue this winning streak...

Mahesh and I make a great team on court, and the results speak for themselves. We are also very good friends. And we will be playing together at Wimbledon next.

What's that one quality in Mahesh as a professional that complements your game and vice versa?

He has one of the best backhand returns in the game, and his net play is outstanding. This complements my powerful ground strokes, and return of serve, which are my strengths. These qualities put together make us a very good team.

How do you plan to celebrate this French Open win?

We had a private dinner at a friend's restaurant in Paris, but apart from that, we tennis players do not have the luxury to celebrate extensively. I'm already in Birmingham for my next tournament and Mahesh is in London to start his grasscourt season.

How did your husband Shoaib react to this victory?

Obviously he is thrilled. Being a professional sportsman himself, he fully understands the value of my winning another Grand Slam title.

Balancing your duties as a wife and player must be tough for you?

I have a very supportive husband and he makes things easy for me. You are glowing even more than earlier these days. So, marriage seems to have done wonders for you... I don't know about the glow but, by the grace of the Almighty, Shoaib is a wonderful husband!

It's lovely to see your dad and husband both being your pillars of strength. Deep within, are you still Papa's little girl?

Yes, I am still Papa's pampered little girl, but we also make a great team together as far as tennis is concerned.

These days, you are calmer than ever, looking healthier and fitter too. What's the secret of this?

Hard work and more hard work.