Mirza to inspire budding Muslim sportswomen
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-06-24 09:50

Sania Mirza may have suffered a heartbreaking end to her Wimbledon dream, but she believes her battling Centre Court appearance can strike a blow for the sporting aspirations of other Muslim women in India.

The 18-year-old is a devout Muslim and she stands defiantly against those who question her commitment to her religion on the basis of her participation in a sport which relies so heavily on femininity and sex appeal.

"Some people have some problems with the dress code. Maybe I wear short skirts but I pray five times a day and do the things that other Muslims do," said Mirza after her 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 defeat to Russian fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"Some men keep a beard and don't do the things they are supposed to.

"It's between me and my God and it's between me and my parents. Who cares what people say? I just hope I will encourage more Muslim women to come out and play.

"You don't care what people think or what people expect or what people want. I know I'm playing for myself, my country, and I'm winning. I'm representing my country. You know, that's all that matters for me."

Growing up in Hyderabad, Mirza idolized cricket star Sachin Tendulkar and harboured hopes of one day becoming a doctor.

That was until she walked onto a tennis court during one school holiday and discovered she had an exceptional talent.

"The coach called my parents up a month later and said: `You should come and watch her because I've never seen a six-year-old hit a ball like that'," she recalls.

"You know, my parents came. Things kept falling in place. Not like we decided one day that we're going to be a professional. It just kept happening. I started playing tournaments. That's how it all began."

Mirza's record-breaking exploits this year have made her almost as famous in India as Tendulkar.

Earlier this year, she became the first Indian woman to win a tour title when she captured her hometown tournament and then achieved another first by making the third round of the Australian Open.

Mirza giggles as she says she counts the cricketing superstar among her friends.

Her feisty performance against the US Open holder on Wednesday was closely followed by sportsmad Indians, who recently voted her second in a television poll for the country's Youth Icon, behind Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

The 18-year-old returned to Hyderabad to an amazing reception after her Australian Open campaign, where she became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, and despite her loss on Wednesday, Mirza was inundated with calls after the match.

"My phone hasn't stopped buzzing since then. I got a lot of messages saying, `Even though you lost, you won the match.'

"I think I'm going to feel bad about it for a long time. You know, there's nothing I can do about it," she said.

"But I hope I'll have many more Centre Court matches to play. I hope I'll be here the second Saturday on Centre Court (the women's final).

"It is like a dream come true for me. But I'm definitely not satisfied with what I've got."

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