Mumbai: Tennis star Sania Mirza, who is due to deliver next month, is not bothered about the gender of her unborn child, and is praying for the baby's good health.
"I think as an expectant mother the most important message that I want to give not just to my child but to every child is that you have to follow your dreams whatever they are even if they are out of the box or out of the ordinary, you have to believe in yourself.
"And obviously if it is only my child, I would hope, pray and wish for it to be a healthy child. It doesn't matter if it is a boy or a girl, which seems to be very important for a lot of people," Sania said in a statement.
"Besides that, to believe in yourself and always know that you have the freedom to be whoever you are. At this point, with regard to my baby, all I truly hope, pray and wish is, for it to be healthy, regardless of the gender," she added.
Sania sent out the heart-warming message to her unborn child through a video, made by Culture Machine's digital channel Blush in collaboration with Kellogg's India.
Sania got married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010.
Any special memories from your own childhood?
"I have a lot of fond memories that I had shared with my parents and the upbringing they've given me because of which I am who I am today and as strong as I am. We used to travel extensively from one state to the other to go and play tennis matches. My parents took extreme pride in every level of tennis that I played. No matter at what level it was, whether it was school, state, national or international -- their support, encouragement and enthusiasm continues to remain the same," said the 31-year-old.
The tennis star says her parents made her "believe in my dreams and helped me achieve them and that's the kind of parent I aspire to be".
"The advice I have always received from them is not be fearful of the choices you truly believe in. This is the advice I have grown up on and wish to pass on the same to my child as well," she added.