Sania Mirza - Controversy

Controversy

The short tennis clothes she wears on the court has drawn criticism from some Muslim religious group. 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. 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.

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

After both Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to play in the men's doubles event at the 2012 Olympics with Leander Paes; Paes demanded that he wants to partner Mirza for the mixed doubles event. Mirza was furious and accuses the All India Tennis Association (AITA) of using her as 'bait' to keep Paes happy; she originally wanted to play with Bhupathi, whom she has won 2 grand slams with. In the end, Mirza was paired with Paes; the pair lost in the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles.

Mirza was photographed without the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. For some, who also seem to object to intermarriage between Indians and Pakistanis, this makes her commitment towards India suspect. Mirza herself, however, reaffirmed her loyalty to the land of her birth before the London Olympics – "To see the national flag go up while standing on the podium is the proudest moment in an athlete's life and I will want to experience that for myself in London."