3 min readIncheonSep 23, 2014 10:56 AM IST
First published on: Sep 23, 2014 at 03:35 AM IST
Sania Mirza with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Source: PTI)
It’s not easy being Sania Mirza. She has been the pioneer of women’s tennis in India, putting the country on the game’s world map by winning multiple Grand Slams in doubles and mixed doubles. And she has never shied away from performing the much-hyped ‘national duty’.
Yet, time after time, she finds herself being dragged into controversies. She was subjected to a fatwa for wearing short skirts on courts and has been accused of corrupting youth when she advocated safe sex.
A month ago, Sania was at the centre of a political storm. A BJP leader called her ‘daughter-in-law of Pakistan’. This time, she had had enough. “I am an emotional person and that episode hurt me a lot. But I do not let such incidents bother my game anymore. If it was difficult to motivate myself, I would not have been here right now,” she says. “But I’m not going to focus on the bad stuff that happened. I’m asked how I come up and win, and I tell them that you have to keep positive. That’s it.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited her for a meeting in New Delhi to calm the waters. It was a pleasant interaction, Sania says. The issue, of course, wasn’t discussed but she was charmed with the way Modi bonded with her. “He is a very charming man. The first thing he asked me was about my sister. He met Anam 10 years ago when she was taking part in a shooting competition in Ahmedabad. It’s incredible that he still remembers that,” Sania says. “We had a lengthy discussion about sports, he told me to open an academy in Ahmedabad. He said I could call him directly if I needed anything, which I felt was quite generous of him.”
On the day of the meeting, Sania announced she would be competing at the Asiad after initially deciding to skip the tournament. One wouldn’t have blamed her for following Somdev Devvarman, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna out of the tournament. But Sania is here, obliging her ‘national duty’ once again.
“My actions don’t depend on what others do, and their actions don’t depend on what I do. I’ve been in the Asian Games three times before and I’ve won six medals. I’m here again, and I’m happy it’s my fourth time. I’d take this decision again if I have to,” she says.
Twelve years ago, Sania was the baby of the team she travelled to South Korea with for the Busan Asian Games. Incidentally, Anand Amritraj was the team captain even back then. This time, however, she returns to the East Asian country as the senior-most player. India’s medal hopes, though, in the team event ended after the defeat to Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals on Monday. Individual rounds, she hopes, will be better.
Sania Mirza with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Source: PTI)
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