Why Should Sania Mirza be Misused as a Bait to Appease Feuding Mail Champion Duo of Indian Tennis? It is insult to WOmanhood, Sania Cires. let us Stand with Sania and demand Apology from LI Hesh,AITA and Sports Ministry provided we Respect Woman at all!
Palash Biswas
Why Should Sania Mirza be Misused as a Bait to Appease Feuding Mail Champion Duo of Indian Tennis? It is insult to WOmanhood, Sania Cires. let us Stand with Sania and demand Apology from LI Hesh,AITA and Sports Ministry provided we Respect Woman at all!
Sania adopted a stunning stand as Woman and Indian Citizen contrary to the much hyped media speculation that she might defend her endorsement and opt to play with her Grand Slam partner Mahesh Bhupati. Sania clarified that she is committed to the country and is ready to play with anyone whoever chosen! Should the seniors and moreover the sports officials not learn a lesion afresh! For me, I have become a Fan afresh to adore Sania, the Human Being who stands to defend her womanhood, honour and commitment to the country countering all kind of hate campaign launched against her since she married a Pak National!
Thus, Sania Mirza has accused the Indian tennis federation of using her as "bait" to placate doubles specialist Leander Paes as discontent continues to rumble over the country's controversial selection process for the Olympics!What Sania has Done, it may make a Rebel like our dear friend in Exile , Taslima Nasrin proud! I do not worship woman as Devi. I just treat her as a human being who should enjoy civic and human rights as we Male do. I have been knowing the women all over the Himalayan Region, specifically in Uttarakhand who have always made us proud in their fight, struggle and resistance. I have been knowing the Manipur women including Irom Sharmila on Hunger Strike for the Withdrawal of Draconian Armed Forces` Special Power Act. I have been knowing all the tribal women countrywide who continue the Resistance in defence of JAL, JANGAL and Jameen. I belong to the Terai region in Udham singh Nagar Nainital where Bengali and Sikh Refugees have been resettled. In real life and even in History and global context, I had to witness the suffering, plight and Resistance for sustenance by the Refugee women countrywide. I have no hesitation, that I am proud to be part of the Excommunicated and excluded enslaved Communities just for the sake of our Women and their INFINITE fight for Justice and equality.
AITA had to bow down to Bhupathi and Bopanna's demand that they be paired as team for the men's doubles event, following their unwillingness to play with Paes.
Paes was then paired with Vardhan in lieu of a mixed doubles pairing with Sania.
Thirty-two teams will contest in the men's and women's doubles, with 24 direct acceptances and eight ITF places in both events.
Direct acceptances were based on the combined world rankings of each team on June 11, with each player using the better of their singles and doubles world ranking.
Any player ranked in the doubles Top 10 on June 11 was eligible for direct acceptance with a partner of any ranking.
Mixed doubles has been included in the Olympics for the first time since 1924.
Entries for the 16-team event will be determined on site from those players already participating in singles or doubles.
Teams have to be nominated by their National Olympic Committee by July 31. There will be 12 direct acceptances based on the combined world rankings of each team on June 11, and four ITF Places.
I was a fan of Sania Mirza, the elegant woman Tennis player hitherto who represents India and for whom we do glue to our TV sets during all the Grand slam tournaments , indeed. But I am Proud of Sania, the Aborigine Indian Woman, who is NOt just yet another branded Glam Girl Icon!
Good News that Sania Mirza was on Tuesday awarded a wild card entry into the women's doubles event of the London Olympics, ending suspense over her participation in the event and also making her eligible to compete in the mixed doubles competition in which India is hopeful of winning a medal.
Sania was handed a wild card along with veteran Rushmi Chakravarthy while Asian Games gold medallist Somdev Devvarman was given a wild card entry in the men's singles event.
Sania's wild card entry will now turn the spotlight on a miffed Leander Paes who is yet to take a final call on his participation following the selection row over the men's doubles team.
In a compromise formula worked out by AITA, Paes was forced to play with 206-ranked Vishnu Vardhan in the men's doubles event against his wishes and was paired with Sania in the mixed section.
Paes had however not given his nod to the compromise deal, raising speculations on whether the veteran tennis player would indeed carry out his threat of boycotting the Games.
The two wild card entries meant India will be fielding its largest ever tennis contingent in the Olympics.
All India Tennis Association has received a letter from International Tennis Federation (ITF) president Francesco Ricci Bitti, stating that wild card applications for Sania and Somdev have been accepted.
Paes had demanded a written assurance from Sania that she would play only with him instead of Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles.
Paes, who it is believed, was waiting for announcement of the wild card, will now have to clear his stand quickly.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) was forced backtrack and field two men's doubles teams for the London Games after both Mahesh Bhupathi and regular partner Rohan Bopanna refused to play with the country's top-ranked doubles player Paes.
Last Thursday, AITA defused the row by announcing that Paes would partner Vishnu Vardhan while the Bhupathi-Bopanna partnership would remain intact for the July 27-August 12 Games.
The federation also said Paes would partner Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles, something perceived as a compromise for the men's doubles world number seven after AITA's plan to send the strongest men's team on paper came undone.
"...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," Mirza said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The whole episode reeked of "male chauvinism", the 25-year-old added, feeling she had been "offered as compensation to partner one of the feuding champions to lure him into accepting to play with a men's player he does not wish to play with".
"This kind of blatant humiliation of Indian womanhood needs to be condemned even if it comes from the highest controlling body of tennis in our country," added Mirza, who is based in Dubai following her marriage to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik.
AITA president Anil Khanna was not available for comments.
Mirza, who prefers Bhupathi as her mixed doubles partner having won the French Open title together earlier this month, said she was ready to play with whoever she was paired with and it would not affect her performance in London.
"...I can assure all my countrymen that I shall never allow these difficult circumstances to come in the way of giving my very best when the Games begin," she said.
Mirza, who has dropped to 246th in the WTA singles rankings, won her only tournament at the Hyderabad Open in 2005 and was once ranked as high as number 27 in the world.
Here is the full text of Sania Mirza's letter in which she hits out at the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Leander Paes, his father Dr. Vece Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi for their roles in the tennis crisis.
I feel absolutely thrilled and emotionally overwhelmed to have qualified to represent India at the Olympics in London. I am extremely grateful to the International Tennis Federation for the faith they have reposed in me by giving me a wild card entry that gives me a cherished opportunity to represent my country at the Olympics for the second time in my life.
While, of course, nobody in the world can guarantee winning a medal in London, I can promise that I shall leave no stone unturned to bring glory to my beloved country.
I have to admit that helplessly watching the sport that I love and passionately play, go through extremely trying times in my country in the last few days and the unusual pressures that I was personally subjected to have left me shaken and disturbed. But I can assure all my countrymen that I shall never allow these difficult circumstances to come in the way of giving my very best when the Games begin.
Since the day AITA announced the team for the Olympics a lot of questions have been raised by friends, colleagues, their parents and of course, by the media. As I thought these questions were purely hypothetical without my having qualified into the London Olympics, I did not think it was appropriate for me to respond to them at that point of time. However, now that I am officially a part of the greatest sporting event in the world, I think it is imperative for me to clarify my feelings.
To Dr. Vece Paes, who has on camera asked me to give in writing about my intention of partnering his son for the mixed doubles event at the Olympics, 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 or any other person that my country feels I am good enough to partner. There should never ever be a question on this although if asked, I am entitled to have my preferences. I will do everything i possibly can to win a medal for Inda.
To Leander Paes I would like to point out that Vishnu Vardhan is an extremely talented player, who I had the privilege of partnering. We went on to win a silver medal for India at the 2010 Asian Games, when all the three male stalwarts of Indian tennis had opted to stay away from Guangzhou. I am convinced that he can go one better when pitted with someone as good as Leander as partner. For Leander to consider partnering with Vishnu only if he has a written assurance from me to play mixed (as Vece Uncle has suggested in his television interviews) is, I think demeaning for me, Vishnu and Leander Paes.
Mahesh Bhupathi has firmly stood by his commitment to play together with his men's doubles partner, Rohan Bopanna as he genuinely believed it was good for India. However, in the process, he sacrificed the commitment he made to me to try and win an Olympic medal together for India. Each person has his or her own priorities and I would like to believe that Mahesh made his choice in the best interests of the country.
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. 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 number 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! This kind of blatant humiliation of Indian womanhood needs to be condemned even if it comes from the highest controlling body of tennis in our country.
I have been fortunate to 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. I have a career best doubles ranking of 7 in the world, which only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have bettered. I am the only Grand Slam champion from India apart from Mahesh and Leander. I believe I can expect a little more respect from the National Tennis Federation than what has been accorded to me even if they did not think it necessary to send me a simple congratulatory message after I had won my second Grand Slam title 3 weeks ago.
What is even more shocking is the manner in which facts have been misrepresented to the public at large to paint a totally wrong picture in an attempt to justify the breaking up of a team that won a second Grand Slam title only days earlier. Leander and I are not the only combination likely to get a direct entry into the mixed doubles draw at the Olympics, as has been wrongly portrayed. If that was true, a highly intelligent man like Dr. Paes would not have felt insecure enough to ask for my written declaration to partner Leander. AITA, itself would not have needed to write a letter to Mr. Randhir Singh giving details of the final pairings and clarifying that these could not be changed without the written permission of the IOA!
I would like to reiterate that I consider it the ultimate honour to represent India to the best of my abilities at the Olympics and I will do everything I possibly can with whosoever I am partnered with. This has always been my stand and this will never change. I only seek the blessings of the people of our beloved country. Nothing more.
SANIA MIRZA
Sania Mirza
 Sania Mirza in-action at the 2011 French Open | |
| Country |  India |
|---|---|
| Residence | Hyderabad, India |
| Born | 15 November 1986 Bombay, India (now Mumbai) |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb; 9 st 0 lb) |
| College | St. Mary's College |
| Turned pro | 3 February 2003 |
| Retired | Active |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US$ 2,582,737 |
| Official web site | http://www.saniamirza.com/ |
| Singles | |
| Career record | W-L / 267–159 |
| Career titles | 1 WTA, 14 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 27 (27 August 2007) |
| Current ranking | No. 238 (11 June 2012) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2005, 2008) |
| French Open | 2R (2007, 2011) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009) |
| US Open | 4R (2005) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 226-118 |
| Career titles | 14 WTA, 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (30 January 2012) |
| Current ranking | No. 12 (11 June 2012) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2012) |
| French Open | F (2011) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2011) |
| US Open | QF (2007) |
| Other Doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2008) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2009) |
| French Open | W (2012) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2011) |
| US Open | QF (2007) |
| Last updated on: 5 June 2012. | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Tennis | ||
| Competitor for India | ||
| Afro-Asian Games | ||
| Gold | 2003 Hyderabad | Singles |
| Gold | 2003 Hyderabad | Women's Doubles |
| Gold | 2003 Hyderabad | Mixed Doubles |
| Gold | 2003 Hyderabad | Team |
| Asian Games | ||
| Gold | 2006 Doha | Mixed Doubles |
| Silver | 2006 Doha | Singles |
| Silver | 2006 Doha | Team |
| Silver | 2010 Guangzhou | Mixed Doubles |
| Bronze | 2010 Guangzhou | Singles |
| Bronze | 2002 Busan | Mixed Doubles |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Silver | 2010 Delhi | Singles |
| Bronze | 2010 Delhi | Women's Doubles |
Sania Mirza (Hindi: सानिया मिर्जा, Telugu: సానియా మీర్జా, Urdu: ثانیہ مرزا ) (born 15 November 1986, in Bombay) is a professional Indian tennis player, well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings in singles and top 10 in doubles. Mirza has defeated many top players, namely Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli and Former World No. 1's Martina Hingis &Dinara Safina.
Mirza has won one WTA singles title so far, at Hyderabad in 2005. She has won two Grand Slam titles: the mixed doubles event at the 2009 Australian Open and the same event at2012 French Open. She was also the runner-up on two other Grand Slam occasions: themixed doubles event at 2008 Australian Open and the women's doubles event at Roland Garros 2011.
In 2004 she was awarded the Arjuna award by the Indian Government. In 2006, Mirza was awarded a Padma Shri, India's fourth highest honour for her achievements as a tennis player.[1] In March 2010, The Economic Times named Mirza in the list of the "33 women who made India proud".[2] Mirza was also the most searched female tennis player onGoogle as well as the most searched Indian sportsperson in 2010. In addition, Mirza was one named one of the '50 heroes of Asia' by Time (2005).
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[edit]Early life
Sania was born to Imran Mirza, a sports journalist, and his wife Nasima in Mumbai,Maharashtra. She and younger sister Anam were brought up in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in a religious family.[3][4][5] Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was trained by her father. She attended NASR school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College.
Mirza received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the MGR Educational and Research Institute University in Chennai on 11 December 2008.[6] Her niece, Sonia Baig Mirza, studies there.
[edit]Career
Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 7 in doubles. She is the third Indian woman in the Open Era to feature and win a round at a Grand Slam tournament (the first one being Nirupama Vaidyanathanat the 1998 Australian Open and the second being Shikha Uberoi at the 2004 US Open.) She is the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament and the first Indian woman to win a WTA title (singles or doubles).
[edit]Junior career
Mirza won 10 singles and 13 doubles titles as a junior player. She also won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, partnering Alisa Kleybanova. She also reached the semifinals of the 2003 French Open Girls' Doubles, with Sanaa Bhambri, and the quarterfinals of the 2002 US Open Girls' Doubles, with Isha Lakhani.
[edit]2001: Debut
On 16 April 2001, Mirza made her debut at an ITF $10,000 event in Chandigarh, as a wildcard. She crushed Geeta Manohar, in the first round, 6–0, 6–1 before falling to Karen Paterson in the second round, 6–3, 6–4. The following week, She played at an ITF $10k event in Pune, where she beat Kamini Murugaboopathy and Jyotsna Vasisht before falling to Sai-Jayalakshmy Jayaram 6–0, 6–4 in the quarterfinals.
In only her third tournament, Mirza reached the semifinals of an ITF $10k event in New Delhi without dropping a set, by defeating Radhika Mandke, Geeta Manohar and Isha Lakhani, before losing to eventual champion Rushmi Chakravarthi, 6–7(1), 6–2, 6–3.
[edit]2002
In February 2002, Mirza played at an ITF $10,000 event in Mumbai but lost the First Round to eventual finalist Sunitha Rao. Her next tournament was the qualifying draw of an ITF $25,000 event in New Delhi. She defeated Archana Venkataraman and Sai-Jayalakshmy Jayaram before falling to Liu Jingjing.
In February, Mirza won her first ITF singles title at her hometown Hyderabad, beatingAkgul Amanmuradova 6–1, 6–2 in the final of the $10k event.
In November, Mirza also won the titles of her next two tournaments in Manila, beatingWang I-Ting and Amanmuradova, respectively. Mirza also won the bronze medal at the2002 Busan Asian Games in mixed doubles, partnering Leander Paes.
In December, Mirza played at a $25k event in Mumbai, falling to Dominika Luzarová. Next, at a $10k event in Pune, she lost to Jennifer Schmidt.
[edit]2003
In February, Mirza was given a wildcard to play in her first WTA tournament, at the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, in her hometown. She lost in the first round to Evie Dominikovic, 6–2, 1–6, 2–6. The following week, at the Qatar Ladies Open, she fell toOlga Blahotova in the first qualifying round. Next up, she won two $10ktitles in Benin City, Nigeria, defeating Franziska Etzel and Anca Anastasiu, respectively.
In April, Mirza played for the India Fed Cup team, winning all three singles matches.
In September, Mirza played at a $25k event in Peachtree City, United States, where she lost to Marta Domachowska in the second qualifying round. In October, Mirza won her sixth ITF singles title, defeating Rushmi Chakravarthi in the finals of a $10k event in Jakarta. She also reached the semifinals of a $10k event, also in Jakarta, before losing toMontinee Tangphong.
In November, Mirza participated at a $25k event in Mumbai, where she reached the quarterfinals by defeating Liza Pereira and Sonal Phadke, before falling to Isha Lakhani.
Mirza also picked up 4 gold medals at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games- in singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles and team.
[edit]2004
At her hometown event, the 2004 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, Mirza was a wildcard. She put up a good fight against the fourth seed and eventual champion Nicole Pratt in round one, but lost 6–4, 3–6, 2–6. But she won her first WTA doubles title here, partnering Liezel Huber.
She also got a wildcard to play at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Casablanca, Morocco, but suffered a first round deficit to eventual champion Émilie Loit.
Mirza also had a runner-up showing at the Palm Beach Gardens Challenger, where she fell to Sessil Karatantcheva.
In addition, Mirza won 6 ITF singles titles in 2004.
[edit]2005: First WTA Title
Going into the 2005 Australian Open, Sania defeated Cindy Watson and Petra Mandula in the first and second rounds, respectively, to reach the third round where she was beaten in straight sets by eventual champion Serena Williams.
In February, Mirza became the first ever Indian woman to win a WTA title, by winning her hometown event, the 2005 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, defeating ninth seeded Alona Bondarenko in the final, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3.
Her good-form continued at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was a wildcard. Mirza, ranked No.94 then, defeated Jelena Kostanić in the first round. In the second round, Mirza upset 4th seed, reigning US Open champion and Australian Open quarterfinalistSvetlana Kuznetsova, in straight sets. Mirza was down 0–4 in the first set, but won 12 of the next 14 games to get past 6–4, 6–2.
Next she lost in the first round of the Roland Garros to Gisela Dulko. At Wimbledon, she defeated Akiko Morigami to reach the second round, where she lost to Kuznetsova in a tight three setter.
In August, she reached the third round at the Acura Classic, falling to Morigami. Next Mirza reached the final of the Forest Hills Tennis Classic, beating Shahar Pe'er, Roberta Vinci and Alexa Glatch, before falling to Lucie Šafářová in the final.
Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open, defeating Mashona Washington, Maria Elena Camerin and Marion Bartoli.
At the Japan Open, Mirza reached the semifinals with wins over Vilmarie Castellvi, Aiko Nakamura and Vera Zvonareva, before being overpowered by Tatiana Golovin.
[edit]2006
Mirza reached the second round of the Australian Open, falling to Michaëlla Krajicek. Next she fell to Camille Pin at the Bangalore Open, but won the doubles title partnering Huber.
She played at the Dubai Tennis Championships but lost to Martina Hingis.
At the Indian Wells Masters, she reached the third round but lost to Elena Dementieva. She also lost in the first round of the French Open Grand Slam to Anastasia Myskina.
Her next tournament was the DFS Classic, where she defeated Alona Bondarenko and Shenay Perry to reach the third round, where she was overpowered by Meilen Tu. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters and the third round of the Acura Classic, falling to Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva, respectively.
She reached the second round of the US Open, losing to Francesca Schiavone. In September, she reached the semifinals of the Sunfeast Open, losing to eventual champion and top seedMartina Hingis. She also won the doubles title there partnering Huber. Mirza made the quarterfinals of the Hansol Korea Open and the Tashkent Open.
In December, Mirza picked up three medals at the 2006 Doha Asian Games- Gold, in mixed doubles and Silver in women's singles and team.
In 2006, Mirza notched up three top ten wins- against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova andMartina Hingis.
[edit]2007: Top-30 Breakthrough
Mirza started 2007 strongly, making it to the semifinals of Hobart, the second round of theAustralian Open, semifinals in Pattaya, and the quarterfinals in Bangalore.
At the French Open, Mirza lost the battle against Ana Ivanović in the second round. She also fell in the second round at the Wimbledon Championships to Nadia Petrova.
Mirza had had the best results of her career during the 2007 summer hardcourt season, finishing eighth in the 2007 U.S. Open Series standings and reaching her highest singles ranking of World No. 27.
She reached the quarterfinals in San Diego, the semifinals at Cincinnati, and made it to the final at Stanford. She also won the doubles event in Cincinnati with Shahar Pe'er. At the 2007 U.S. Open, she reached the third round before losing to Anna Chakvetadze for the third time in recent weeks. She fared much better in the doubles, reaching the quarterfinals in mixed with her partner Mahesh Bhupathi and the quarterfinals in the women's doubles with Bethanie Mattek, including a win over number two seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur. She won four doubles titles in 2007.
[edit]2008
Mirza reached the quarter-finals at Hobart as No. 6 seed. She lost to Flavia Pennetta in three sets. She reached the third round at the Australian Open as No.31 seed, where she lost to No.8 seed Venus Williams 7–6(0) 6–4, having led 5–3 in the first set. She was runner-up in theAustralian Open mixed doubles partnering Mahesh Bhupathi where they lost 7–6(4), 6–4 to Sun Tiantian and Nenad Zimonjić.
She had to withdraw from the PTT Pattaya Open because of a left abductor strain. She reached round four at Indian Wells as the No. 21 seed, defeating No.9 seed Shahar Pe'er en route, but lost to No.5 seed Daniela Hantuchová.
On Grass, Mirza was crushed in the second round of Birmingham by Marina Erakovic. At Wimbledon, as the No. 32 seed, Mirza was defeated by qualifier María José Martínez Sánchez, 6–0, 4–6, 9–7 in round two, having had several match points.
Mirza represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was eliminated from singles when she retired in her match against Iveta Benešová because of a right wrist injury. For doubles, she got a walkover through the first round with Sunitha Rao, but lost in the second round to Russia.
Throughout 2008, Mirza was plagued by a slew of wrist injuries, requiring her to withdraw from several matches including those of theRoland Garros and US Open Grand Slams.
[edit]2009: Grand Slam Championship
Mirza started her year by playing at the doubles event of the Moorilla Hobart International. Partnering Francesca Schiavone, they reached the quarterfinals. At 2009 Australian Open, she won her first round match against Marta Domachowska, but she fell against 10th seed Nadia Petrova in round two. In doubles she lost in first round partnering Vania King. But in mixed doubles Mirza picked up her first Grand Slam title at the 2009 Australian Open. Partnering withMahesh Bhupathi, they beat Nathalie Dechy & Andy Ram 6–3, 6–1 in the final.
She then entered the Pattaya Women's Open Tournament in Bangkok where she reached the finals after a string of good performances. She lost the finals to Vera Zvonareva 7–5, 6–1. She made the semis in doubles in the same tournament.
Mirza then competed in the BNP Paribas Open where she lost in the second round to Flavia Pennetta. She then participated in the Miami Masters and lost to Mathilde Johansson in the first round. Mirza and her doubles partner Chuang Chia-jung made the semifinals of the doubles event. Mirza lost in the first round of the MPS Group Championships but won the doubles title with Chuang. She also lost in the first round at Roland Garros, Galina Voskoboeva.
On grass, Mirza participated at the 2009 AEGON Classic and reached the semifinals, losing to Magdaléna Rybáriková. At Wimbledon, Mirza defeated Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the first round. She then fell to No.28 seed Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. She then lost in the second round of the doubles (with Chuang) and mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi).
Next Mirza went to Lexington to compete in Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, where she won the title after a few good wins. Sania's next two tournaments were in Canada, where she had mixed results. She managed it all the way to the final at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open where she was beaten by Stephanie Dubois. But at the Rogers Cup, she fell to Heidi El Tabakh in the second qualifying round.
Playing in the U.S Open, she defeated Olga Govortsova in the first round but was double-bagled by 10th seed Flavia Pennetta. She also lost in the second round of the doubles event (partnering Francesca Schiavone) to Shahar Pe'er and Gisela Dulko.
Mirza then went to Japan where she qualified for the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo but lost in the first round to Zheng Jie. At Osaka, Mirza won against 5th seed Shahar Pe'er and Viktoriya Kutuzova and in the quarterfinal she defeated 2nd seed Marion Bartoli 6–4, 2–0 by retirement. Mirza moved on to the semifinal, where she lost to Francesca Schiavone.
[edit]2010
Mirza began her year at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She won her first round match againstStefanie Vögele, but was crushed by 4th seed Francesca Schiavone in the second round. Mirza then suffered two first-round losses at the Moorilla Hobart International and the Australian Open.
In February, Mirza competed in the 2010 PTT Pattaya Open as the 6th seed, but was upset byTatjana Malek 6–3, 4–6, 3–6. She then played in the Dubai Tennis Championships but suffered a first round defeat to Anabel Medina Garrigues. Mirza was forced to withdraw from the Sony Ericcson Open, the BNP Paribas Open and the Family Circle Cup due to a right wrist injury. This injury also caused her to pull out of the French Open.
She returned at the 2010 AEGON Classic, where she lost in the second round to Tamarine Tanasugarn in three sets. Mirza then fell in the qualifying at Eastbourne and also lost in the first round of Wimbledon.
Her bad form continued, as she lost in the second round of the Odlum Brown Vancouver Openand qualifying rounds of both the Cincinnati Masters and the Rogers Cup. Mirza won her first round match against Michelle Larcher de Brito at the U.S. Open, but she went down fighting 20th seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.
In September, Mirza competed in the 2010 Guangzhou International Women's Open where she made her first quarterfinal of the season. She then lost in the first round of the Tashkent Open, the qualifying draw of the BGL Luxembourg Open, and the first round of the OEC Taipei Ladies Open. In doubles, Mirza won in Guangzhou (with Edina Gallovits) and finished as a runner-up in Taipei (with Su-Wei Hsieh).
In October, she represented India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the 2nd seed. She defeated Brittany Teei (Cook Islands),Marina Erakovic (New Zealand), and Olivia Rogowska (Australia) before losing to Australia's Anastasia Rodionova in the final. In doubles, she partnered with fellow Indian Rushmi Chakravarthi, losing in the semifinals to Australians Anastasia Rodionova and Sally Peers. Mirza and Chakravarthi beat fellow Indians Poojashree Venkatesha and Nirupama Sanjeev to win the bronze medal.
In November, she represented India at the 2010 Asian Games. The unseeded Indian defeated Chan Venise Wing-yau in first round. Next she defeated 6th seed Zhang Shuai in straight sets 6–2, 6–2 to enter into quarterfinal. In quarterfinal Mirza won against 2nd seedTamarine Tanasugarn 6–2,6–3 to move in semi final, where she went down fighting to 3rd seed Akgul Amanmuradova 7–6(7), 3–6, 4–6 and won Bronze Medal in singles. In Mixed Doubles she partnered with India's Vishnu Vardhan losing in the finals to Chan Yung-jan andYang Tsung-hua and won Silver Medal.
In December, she went to Dubai to compete at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge. Coming unseeded, she won the tournament, defeating 6th seed Ksenia Pervak, top seed Julia Görges & 8th seed Evgeniya Rodina en route, and 2nd seed Bojana Jovanovski in the final.
[edit]2011
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Ranked at no.141, Mirza kicked-off her year with the ASB Classic in Auckland. She needed one more win to qualify for the tournament, but lost in three sets against Sabine Lisicki. In doubles, she partnered Renata Voráčová of Czech Republic and reached the semifinals, but lost toKatarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke.
Going into the Australian Open, Mirza went down fighting to former world no. 1 Justine Henin in a tight three-setter 5–7, 6–3, 6–1 in the first round. She partnerd Voracova for doubles but lost in the first round also.
She received wildcards to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open. She made the second rounds of both events, falling to Ayumi Morita and Jelena Janković, respectively. She also was the quarterfinalist in doubles at both, with Russian Elena Vesnina.
At the Premier Mandatory events in March, Mirza made the second rounds in both. In doubles, she won her first Premier Mandatory title at Indian Wells, with Vesnina, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy.
Mirza participated at the Premier-level Family Circle Cup in Charleston. In singles, she made her first Premier quarterfinal since San Diego in August 2007. In doubles, Mirza won the title with Vesnina: the Indo-Russian duo beat Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy in the final for the second time this season. Mirza won her 11th WTA Tour Doubles Title and second of the year.
Next, she also competed at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open, losing in the first round against doubles partner Elena Vesnina. In doubles, with Vesnina, she managed to go up to the third round. Mirza took part in the 2011 Sparta Prague Open, but had to retire in her first round match against Aleksandra Krunic due to a back injury. Next she played at the 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg, but suffered a first round lost Alize Cornet.
Mirza breezed through the first round of the French Open where she beat Kristina Barrois in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3. Then in Round 2, she lost to 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 2–6, 4–6. In doubles, Mirza had what was probabaly the greatest highlight of her career- she was the runner-up with Vesnina to Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.
At Wimbledon, Mirza made the semifinals of doubles with Vesnina and the quarterfinals in mixed doubles with Rohan Bopanna. She also made the third round of the US Open in doubles with Vesnina. At the 2011 Citi Open, Mirza won the doubles title with Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.
After Roland Garros, Mirza suffered six straight main draw losses, including the Wimbledon Championships and US Open grand slams. An knee injury stopped Mirza from playing the rest of the season. She ended the year ranked at No. 104.
[edit]2012
Mirza kicked-off her 2012 season ranked 104th at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. She lost a tough 6–1, 5–7, 3–6 first qualifying match against Coco Vandeweghe. As for doubles, she partnered Elena Vesnina and made it to the semifinals, losing to Julia Görges and Flavia Pennetta. Her next tournament was in Sydney where she played doubles only alongside Italian Roberta Vinci, but lost in round one.
Going into the Australian Open, Mirza was overpowered by Tsvetana Pironkova 4–6, 2–6 in the first round. In doubles, Mirza reached her third Grand Slam semifinal, partnering Vesnina, where they fell to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva. For the mixed doubles event, Mirza played alongside compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi and reached her 4th Grand Slam semifinal.
Mirza then represented India at the Fed Cup in Shenzhen, China where they were facing Hong Kong. In singles, she defeated Zhang Ling 5–7, 6–0, 6–1. Partnering with Isha Lakhani, the pair beat Chan Wing-Yau Venise and Zhang 6–7(7), 6–1, 7–5. With this performance, India advanced to the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I for 2013. Mirza then played at the PTT Pattaya Open where she won her first WTA main draw match since Roland Garros 2011- coming from a set down to upset Ayumi Morita (ranked 47 spots higher), 3–6, 6–1, 6–2. In second round she beat Anne Keothavong 6–4, 7–5 to enter in Quarter Final, where she lost to Su-Wei Hsieh. In doubles with Australian Anastasia Rodionova she won her 13th WTA title: they defeated the Taiwanese sisters Hao-Ching Chan andYung-Jan Chan 3-6, 6-1, 10-8
Mirza then went to Doha to play at the Qatar Ladies Open where she had to withdraw from the singles qualifying event, due to playing Pattaya doubles final. She lost in the second round of doubles with Vesnina. Then, in Dubai, she was beaten by Aleksandra Wozniak in the first qualifying round. In doubles, Mirza and Vesnina are were runners-up against No.1 seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond. Mirza then lost a tough 2–6, 6–1, 4–6 encounter to Eleni Daniilidou in Round 1 of the BMW Malaysian Open.
Playing doubles at the Premier-line up of Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston, Mirza reached the final, lost in round one and made the quarters, respectively. She also reached round two of singles in Indian Wells. She then would begin the European Clay Court Season at the 2012 Estoril Open, where she was the semifinalist in doubles (with Anastasia Rodionova). She lost in round 2 of doubles in Madridand also in Rome.
Mirza returned on the singles circuit in May at the 2012 Brussels Open where she won three good matches- including her first 'double bagel'- in the qualifying competition, where she beat Lesia Tsurenko by 6–0, 6–0, who was ranked 87 spots higher than she.
She then participated in the Roland Garros Championships in the Women's doubles (w. Mattek-Sands) and the French Open mixed doubles (w. Bhupathi). In the doubles she suffered a first round shock defeat but found great success in the French Open mixed doubles where she and Bhupathi won the crown by defeating Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik of Poland 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 in the final on 7 June 2012.[7]
Sania her parter Yaroslava Shvedova crashed out of the 2012 AEGON Classic with a straight-set defeat against Iveta Benesova and Alla Kudryavtseva.[8]. Mirza then would go on to falling in the qualifying singles and first round doubles at the 2012 AEGON International. On 26 June 2012, Sania Mirza was awarded a wild card entry hence confirming her participation in women's doubles event of the London Olympics.[9]
[edit]Personal life
In 2009, Sania Mirza became engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza. However the engagement was called off shortly after. Then, she dated Faizan Udyawar, who is a multimillionaire businessman, for six months. Since she wanted to marry a sportsperson, she started seeing Dubai-based Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.[10] Mirza married him on 12 April 2010.[11][12] The wedding was held in Hyderabad, India, followed by a ceremony inSialkot, Pakistan and a Walima ceremony in Lahore, Pakistan. The online attention the wedding received made Mirza the most searched woman tennis player in 2010 according to Google Trends.[13] The couple planned to settle down in Dubai. The wedding was even more controversial because Shoaib Malik was accused by another girl of already being married to him and hence he could not marry Mirza without first divorcing her. Initially for many days, Shoiab Malik refused to grant the divorce claiming he was never married. This resulted in a huge media drama leading to so much online attention as stated earlier. Finally, having no other option, Shoaib divorced the girl paving the way for his next marriage to Mirza.[14]
[edit]Controversy
The short tennis clothes she has to wear in the court has drawn criticism from some Muslim religious group.[5] According to one report published 8 September 2005, an unnamed Muslim scholar had issued a ruling, saying that women's tennis attire is not suited to Islam.[15] Jamiat-ulema-e-Hind rejected rumours about disrupting her game saying that they do not stop anyone from playing, although they found female tennis players' dress code objectionable. Nevertheless, Calcutta police tightened security measures to protect her.[16]
After Mirza spoke at a conference on safe sex in November 2005, some groups said she was detached from Islam and that she was a "corrupting influence on the youth." Mirza clarified her stance by saying that she was opposed to pre-marital sex.[17]
In 2006, some newspapers reported that Mirza declined to play doubles with Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er for fear of protests from India's Muslim community.[17] However, when she teamed up with Pe'er for the 2007 WTA Tour of Stanford, California, there was no reaction.
Mirza was pictured resting her feet and showing the soles of her bare feet as she watched compatriot Rohan Bopanna play in the 2008 Hopman Cup, with an Indian flag in front.[18] She faced possible prosecution under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after a private citizen complained. Mirza protested, "I love my country, I wouldn't be playing Hopman Cup otherwise."
On 4 February 2008, Mirza said that she would stop appearing in tennis tournaments held in India, starting with the 2008 Bangalore Open the following month, citing the series of controversies and upon advice by her manager.[19]
But Mirza chose to participate at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. This time, she faced no controversies, but instead the public was happy that she has started to play at major tournaments in India.
[edit]Career statistics
[edit]Major finals
[edit]Grand Slam events
[edit]Women's Doubles: 1 (0-1)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| Runner-up | 2011 | French Open | Clay |  Elena Vesnina |  Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká | 4–6, 3–6 |
[edit]Mixed Doubles: 3 (2-1)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| Runner-up | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi |  Sun Tiantian Nenad Zimonjić | 6–7(4–7), 4–6 |
| Winner | 2009 | Australian Open | Hard | Mahesh Bhupathi |  Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2012 | French Open | Clay | Mahesh Bhupathi |  Klaudia Jans-Ignacik Santiago González | 7-6(7–3), 6-1 |
[edit]Girls' Doubles: 1 (1-0)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| Winner | 2003 | Wimbledon | Grass | Alisa Kleybanova | Kateřina Böhmová Michaëlla Krajicek | 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
[edit]Awards
- Arjuna Award (2004)
- WTA New Comer of the Year (2005)
- Padma Shri (2006)
[edit]References
- ^ "Sania Mirza gets Padma Shri". Rediff. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
- ^ "DAY IN PICS-Sania Mirza". The Times Of India. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Johnson, Martin (16 January 2008). "Sania Mirza is failing to fly the flag for India". The Daily Telegraph, UK (London). Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ The enigma that is Sania Mirza- tennis star and so much more Sportingo.
- ^ a b Amelia Gentleman (5 February 2006) India's most wanted Guardian. Retrieved on 30 September 2009.
- ^ "Sport : Sania Mirza gets a doctorate". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 12 December 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza win French Open mixed doubles crown". 8 June 2012.
- ^ "Sania-Shvedova pair suffers defeat at AEGON Classic". 15 June 2012.
- ^ "Sania, Somdev get wild cards for London Olympics". 26 June 2012.
- ^ Hegde, Prajwal (28 January 2010). "Sania Mirza's engagement called off". The Times Of India.
- ^ "Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza: Photos from the Wedding". artsyHANDS. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "Sania Mirza weds Shoaib Malik In Hyderabad". The Times Of India. 12 April 2010.
- ^ "Google: Top 10 Most Searched Women Tennis Players for 2010". Tennisphilia. 3 December 2010.
- ^ "Sania, Shoaib house-hunting in Dubai". The Times Of India. 20 May 2010.
- ^ Randeep Ramesh (9 September 2005). "Fatwa orders Indian tennis star to cover up". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 11 April 2007.
- ^ Bhaumik, Subir (17 September 2005). "Protection for Indian tennis star". BBC News . Retrieved 27 April 2007.
- ^ a b "Sania Mirza Indian tennis star refuses to play with Israeli". 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
- ^ "Sania seeks fresh start at Qatar Open". The Peninsula On-line. 16 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Mirza boycotts Indian tournaments". BBC . 4 February 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
[edit]Sources
- India Today dt. 19 September 2005 – Cover Story titled Sania Mania.
- ^ Sania Mirza gets Padmashri,26 January 2006
- Sania Mirza Searches for Additional Base
- Sania Mirza Gets a doctorate
| Preceded by Tatiana Golovin | WTA Newcomer of the Year 2005 | Succeeded by Agnieszka Radwańska |
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[edit]External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sania Mirza |
- Sania Mirza at the International Tennis Federation
- Sania Mirza at the Women's Tennis Association
- Sania Mirza at the Fed Cup
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Asian Games competitors for India
- Asian Games bronze medalists
- Asian Games gold medallists for India
- Asian Games medalists in tennis
- Asian Games silver medalists
- Australian Open champions
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India
- Indian female tennis players
- Indian Shi'a Muslims
- Olympic tennis players of India
- People from Hyderabad, India
- People from Mumbai
- Sportspeople from Andhra Pradesh
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- Recipients of the Arjuna Award
- Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 2010 Asian Games
- Tennis players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Wimbledon junior champions
- Hopman Cup competitors
- French Open champions
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