Sania Mirza Ranked Number One in Tennis Doubles, What a Proud Moment!
In a country that eats, sleeps and breathes Cricket, she picked Tennis. With every match she didn’t only progress, she showed how it’s played to the entire nation. A sport like Tennis is absolutely alien to India with hardly anyone making it at the top order. She climbed up there and STAYED. Her victories in doubles over the years are illustrious of her grit and the desire to excel every time. She doesn’t have a team of 11 to back her up. Her victory belongs to the nation, her loss, only personal. While the nation celebrated her for putting the country on the world map, she has been under scrutiny for every single thing she has touched. From her nose ring to the length of her skirt, from her religion to her decision to marry a Pakistani man, she has been celebrated or insulted at several occasions. But, every time she lifts up another trophy and smiles away, it speaks volumes. Volumes about what is really important to her, what the media and all of us really need to focus on and why she doesn’t care what is written about her. Sania Mirza silenced her critics once again when she lifted the doubles trophy with Martina Hinges for the third time. She has turned out to be that classic wine, which keeps getting better with time. Sania is a tough nut to crack. How would it have been possible otherwise, to perform against all odds and criticism coming her way? Her focus has always and forever been tennis and her loyalty only lies towards India. She has come a long way from dreaming about being a star, to actually becoming one. Her achievements
have opened gates for several others who wish to pursue tennis and her victories have instilled an undying Hope in the heart of every Indian that if she could do it, so could we. Sania entered a sport that had rarely seen an Indian face (definitely not a woman) at the top order and showed what she is made of. For us, Sania is the true face of woman empowerment. She is the same outside the court as well. These quotes by Sania are a window to the woman she is, how much she respects her sport and why she is never satisfied until she has reached the top. She is ridiculously honest, fiercely unapologetic and terribly focused. No wonder she’s an idol for most young girls in the country.
The Right Advice
I don’t think I’m old enough or experienced enough to give anyone any guidance. All I would like say is that as long as you’re having fun, I think you’re doing the right thing.
True Words!
As a young girl, I used to dream of giving an interview. You dream of stardom as a kid. People think they don’t want to be stars. Everyone wants to be a star! That’s the truth. Even grownups; they pretend they don’t want to be one and don’t care. But everyone wants to.
Arrogance VS Attitude
Everyone has attitude, and I think everyone should have attitude. But I know I have attitude, but that’s just, I think if you don’t have attitude, it comes only with self confidence. So if you don’t have self confidence, you won’t have attitude, and I think there’s a difference when you have attitude and when you have arrogance.
The Downside
As long as I am winning, people shouldn’t care whether my skirt is six inches long or six feet long. How I dress is a very personal thing. It is scary that every time I wear a T-shirt, it becomes a talking point for the next three days.
Celebrity Pros and Cons
We’re a billion people in India, and being famous comes with a price. The good price is so many people respect you, they pray for you, they love you and what you have done for the country. On the flip side, people have opinions about everything, everyone is a critic, everyone knows tennis better than you do. You kind of just have to live with it.
National Loyalty
I will play with anyone for my country. I may have my personal preferences, but such preferences have never come in the way of playing for India.
Well Said!
As I came to the lime light, the media asked me many questions. A lot many moral policing… ‘Wear this, wear that, why a T-shirt?’ Everybody has the right to form their opinions, and I have the right to ignore them.
Focused!
I don’t play tennis to prove a point to anyone. I play for my country and myself. It’s not changing what people say or think. It’s about what I can do. If I feel I have the ability to achieve something and haven’t used my potential to that end, I’ll keep trying till I succeed.
Girl Power!
When I used to say I wanted to play at Wimbledon, they used to laugh in my face and say, ‘What are you talking about, you’re from Hyderabad, and you’re supposed to… cook.’ That’s one of the notions that people have in this side of the world – it is our ‘culture’, within quotes, you know, to say what a woman can or cannot do.
