in the 90s arantxa snchez vicario was quite the sensation in the international tennis circuit winning four grand slams and emerging runnerup in most others while also representing her country spain at the olympics multiple times the former star who has taken to coaching after retirement was in bengaluru on a maiden visit as the brand ambassador of an annual marathon we caught up with her over lunch and as she relished butter chicken and naan and spoke to about bengaluru motherhood sports and more what have you been up to on your first visit to bengaluruits always good to try and understand the city you are in and considering that this is my first visit to bengaluru i wanted to try out new cuisines that are indigenous to the place i also visited the vidhana soudha and other famous tourist spots here i have been to india before and this is my fourth time to the country and feel that the culture is very close to the one back home in spain family bonds are strong in spain too so i feel that our hearts are in sync when it comes to family so what was your first impression of the citythe city has a lot of motorcycles laughs but it does remind me of barcelona in spain where people think it is better to ride a bike in traffic being here brings back good memories of my home also the hospitality is something that is warm and it is always great to be in india i wish i had more time to explore the city but sadly i dont have as much time required like many others before you you withdrew from active sports and made family your priority yet today you have players like serena williams who is balancing a career and family what is your take on that returning to professional tennis after motherhood is a very personal choice and only serena can answer that but what i can tell you is that she is a champion and has made a name in sports history it is great to see that she has passion for the game and is continuing it but it is different for different people and a personal choice of what you want in your life i am still the same person that i was earlier i have not got carried away with stardom now i have an additional responsibility as a mother to two beautiful children earlier my life was about tennis and focusing on being the world champion and now it is motherhood i have a great relationship with my children and am like their friend they are my current motto in life which is to give them good education and values they are growing up so fast smiles also i have commitments in sports so i am in a happy phase i was a fighter on the court now i am a fighter off it after competing i wanted to