Indian eyes on Mirza
Friday, 22 June 2007
She may only be ranked 46 in the world but Sania Mirza will be one of the most scrutinised performers at this year's Wimbledon, reports BBC.
India has had its fair share of tennis stars in the past but until the 20-year-old from Hyderabad arrived they had been exclusively male.
Mirza has broken new ground for Indian sport, becoming the first woman to break into the world's top and the first to win a WTA title at her hometown tournament in 2005.
And she has come in for criticism along the way, with some in her country angered by her sporting attire and describing it as "indecent dressing" and "corrupting".
"I try not to read papers as much as possible and I try not to watch too many news channels when the sports news is going on," she tells BBC Sport.
"Every athlete in India has the pressure of the whole country on them when they play, more so the cricketers than me, but that's something that we try and block out as much as possible.
"But it's impossible to do it completely."
India has had its fair share of tennis stars in the past but until the 20-year-old from Hyderabad arrived they had been exclusively male.
Mirza has broken new ground for Indian sport, becoming the first woman to break into the world's top and the first to win a WTA title at her hometown tournament in 2005.
And she has come in for criticism along the way, with some in her country angered by her sporting attire and describing it as "indecent dressing" and "corrupting".
"I try not to read papers as much as possible and I try not to watch too many news channels when the sports news is going on," she tells BBC Sport.
"Every athlete in India has the pressure of the whole country on them when they play, more so the cricketers than me, but that's something that we try and block out as much as possible.
"But it's impossible to do it completely."