5. She partnered her idol and inspiration, Sania Mirza, at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea where the pair finished with bronze in the women’s doubles category.
Playing with the World No. 1 was a dream come true for Thombare, as she had only seen her play on television.
Mirza had a big role to play in her career as she motivated and inspired her to strive for glory, making the country proud in the process. She hopes to emulate the 29-year-old by giving her best on the court and win a Grand Slam title.
“In Solapur, I didn’t have a TV then. But we all knew about Sania Mirza, she was my idol and the reason why I took up tennis. Then I got to play with her at the Fed Cup for the first time and it was a dream come true. We have developed a good partnership, which worked at the Asian Games. I mean I don’t even need to go train abroad, when the world number 1 doubles player is from my own country. There is no better training than that.”
