Sania Mirza has at last spoken about the controversy that has been surrounding Indian tennis from the past few weeks. Sania, who got the wild card entry in the London Olympics, has been told to partner Laender Paes in the mixed doubles’s category and Sania has expressed disappointment over how the decision was made.
"As an Indian woman belonging to the 21st century, what I find disillusioning is the humiliating manner in which I was put up as a bait to try and pacify one of the disgruntled stalwarts of Indian tennis," said Sania.
She added, “"While I feel honored and privileged to have been chosen to partner Leander Paes, the manner and timing of the announcement wreaks of male chauvinism where a two-time Grand Slam champion, who has been India's No.1 women's tennis player for almost a decade in singles and doubles is offered in compensation to partner one of the feuding champions purely in order to lure him into accepting to play with a men's player he does not wish to play with!"
Now the question that comes to mind is that are comments made by Sania justified? Going by how things have shaped up it does look that Sania does have all the rights to say the things that she has said. It can be said that Sania has been the only tennis player who has maintained dignity and has kept her ego aside and is thinking of her country first.
If Bhupathi and Paes are big stars even Sania is no less. The heights that she has reached was unknown for any Indian women tennis player and she does have time in her hand to achieve even more. Sania had achieve a career best singles ranking of 27 in the world that has been only bettered by Vijay Amritraj (16) and Ramesh Krishnan (23) even amongst the men in the modern era.
She has a career best doubles ranking of 7 in the world, which only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have bettered. She is the only Grand Slam champion from India apart from Mahesh and Leander and she does demand respect.
Sania in her statement said, “I would like to point out that my commitment is to my country. For the sake of India, I am committed to play with Leander Paes or Mahesh Bhupathi or Rohan Bopanna or Somdev Devvarman or Vishnu Vardhan,” and that sure proves that Sania is really up for a challenge no matter who she teams up with.
With players being at their selfish best it is good to see a player putting her hand up and saying that she wants to play for the country and not for herself.
By Indian Sports News Network
