Exclusive | 'I was put into doing this....': Sania Mirza on creating female superstar culture

Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza is all set to begin a new chapter in her career after signing off from the professional game in February. The six-time champion will be the mentor for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Women's Premier League (WPL) and will be part of the new revolution in Indian female sports. Speaking exclusively to WION, Sania spoke on how the next female superstar can be born in India as she looks eager to take part in the WPL in a mentor role.

Sania on next female superstar

"I feel evenif I can play a small part in the revolution where we are today in our female athletics superstars that we have, I will feel that I have accomplished what I was here for besides being a tennis player. I feel that I was put into doing this where people didn't believe until they started to believe that you can be a female superstar in a sport and you can have a career out of it," Sania said while speaking to WION Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo.

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The ace tennis star will enjoy a different look as she will be in the RCB corner when they take on Delhi Capitals on Sunday, March 5 in the team's opening match of the WPL. Sania will be mentoring some of the big names in Indian sports like Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, and Renuka Singh Thakur. The opposition camp will also have the likes of Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shefali Verma as the current crop of female stars will start the next phase of the revolution in the women's game.

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On her role as mentor

"This mentorship means a lot of fun as I love doing things that are challenging but also helping these young girls to adapt to the sports that I have been doing for the last 20 years. A lot of them have not seen that kind of spotlight ever, so will try to help them with my experience and give them my experience of how exactly feels to play under pressure and that has nothing to do with cricket and only has to do with the mental side of things, so I hope I can do that and help them grow faster and how to handle the pressure," Sania spoke on her role as a mentor in at RCB.

Sania will be seen in the RCB corner in the WPL which will be played in Mumbai from Saturday, March 4. RCB will be in action for the first time on Sunday, March 5 as they take on Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The match will feature the brightest talents of the women's game Jemimah Rodrigues and Shefali Verma in the opposition camp while Meg Lanning will wear the captain's armband.