Sania Mirza pay a price for her popularity
Mirza, 21, has opted out of India’s leading tennis event – next month’s £305,000 Bangalore Open – saying it was becoming impossible to deal with the controversies.
“Every time I have played in India there has been some kind of problem so we just thought it was better not to play at this point,” she said.
Mirza’s popularity has rivalled cricketers in India since she became the first Indian woman to win a tour event in 2005 and the articulate player enjoys many commercial endorsements. She is ranked 29th in the world.
The Muslim player has also had to pay a price for her popularity, however, and has been at the centre of a series of controversies.
She faced an edict from a Muslim group for playing in normal tennis attire soon after her rise to prominence.
In December, she apologised to Mosque officials in hometown Hyderabad following a police complaint for trespass after she shot an advertisement film in its premises.
India’s top tennis star, Sania Mirza, will boycott all tournaments in the country this year after a series of off-court controversies, disappointing officials and millions of fans.
Related News
- Sania Mirza entered the main draw of the US Open
- Sonam to play Sania Mirza in Anees Bazmee’s next flick
- Designer brothers Shantanu and Nikhil to design Sania Mirza’s wedding dress
- Sania Mirza knows the truth : Shoaib Malik
- Criminal case booked against Shoaib Malik
- Sania Mirza to wed Shoaib Malik
- Sania Mirza calls off engagement to Sohrab
- India to win a medal in London Olympics : Sania
- Sania Mirza will team up with Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain for the Australian Open
- Somdev Devvarman, Sania Mirza set a first for India in a slam
- Sania Mirza crashes out of BNP Paribas Open
- Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi win mixed doubles title
- Sania Mirza honoured with a doctorate
- Sania Mirza has slipped seven places
- Sania will open her campaign at Beijing against Czech Republic’s Ivita Benesova


Posted
on
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 12:01 am under