Tuesday, June 17, 2008

TENNIS THE MENACE

The Indian tennis ace, Sania Mirza, has been caught in a web of unnecessary controversy ever since she started playing. Some attack her on her remark on pre marital sex, insulting the national flag, shooting for a commercial in a mosque and so on.

The 21-year-old Hyderabadi tennis player has even faced a fatwa against her by Islamic fundamentalists for wearing short skirts while playing. Adding to the list of controversies is her recent decision not to not play in the Bangalore Open.

“I am not playing in Bangalore Open. I have been advised by my manager not to play in Bangalore because a lot has been happening in the past few months. Every time I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So we just thought it was better not to play this time," she said.
An angry Sania said that she was misquoted. She said that she whether before or after marriage, the most important thing is that sex should be safe and there was no question of supporting pre-marital sex as it is a sin in the eyes of Allah.

A few months back, the Hyderabad police registered a case of trespass against her for shooting a commercial in the premises of the Mecca Masjid in her hometown.

Only few months back, a lawyer in Madhya Pradesh filed a case against her for disrespecting the National Flag as she was photographed putting her feet on a table that had the national flag. She could get three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine if found guilty.

Sania is not the lone victim. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar saw himself coiled in a controversy following his cutting a cake that had the colours of the tricolour during the World Cup against the West Indies in Jamaica in 2007.

However, Sania’s decision does not hold. Being a sportsperson, she should move ahead and concentrate on her sport. She should be the one representing India in National and International tournaments. Even the people who drag her into such controversies should realize that she has got a very important year ahead. She is the first Indian women tennis player who reached the third round of a Grand Slam.

As Sania Mirza aims to climb to the top ten rankings in both the singles and double category, 2008 is going to be big year ahead for her. One of the most important upcoming events is the Beijing Olympics where she would be playing in the women’s singles and she has a great chance of winning a medal. Incidentally, Time magazine named Sania among those who would create and change history.

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