CHENNAI: Ankita Raina and Sania Mirza will be practising with each other after Wimbledon. The duo, who will be featuring at the Olympics, will fly out together to Tokyo closer to the Olympics.
"We would be training together in UK post-Wimbledon till the Olympics," Raina told The New Indian Express. "That's the plan, and most probably leaving to Japan from the UK... seeing the current schedule."
However, they will not be taking part in any tour events. As a pair, they have only played with each other during India's Billie Jean King Cup (Fed Cup) campaign but have an outstanding record (5-0) in the competition.
The 28-year-old said qualifying to the Games was the realisation of a dream.
"Participating in the Olympics is a dream for any athlete. It takes place once every four years and only a selected few get the chance. I will now have that chance, so this is going to be special. Don't think I have enough words to express my feelings. It's years of hard work not only by me but my parents, coach and my entire team. They have all been involved in my journey. Also the support of all the sponsors, without them this would have been impossible to achieve," she said.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: Sania Mirza's 2020 interview with TNIE