by Marilla Mulwane

Created on: April 04, 2010

Sania Mirza is India's greatest tennis player. In fact, she's the only female Indian tennis player to win a WTA single's title, or to make it to the fourth round of a grand slam. She has had a career high ranking of 27, again a first for Indian women tennis players. Her achievements on the tennis courts have made her a celebrity in her home country, and in 2005 she was named one of the top 50 heroes of Asia.

These accomplishments aren't important, though, because Mirza isn't widely known because of her hard-hitting forehand. No, her fame comes from the many controversies that surround her. Controversies that, to us, is sometimes hard to believe.

*Sania Mirza and the clothing controversy*

Tennis is supposed to be about hitting that ball over the net, but for the women, it's more about designing new outfits to wear on court. You can count on seeing Maria Sharapova in her latest, and usually interesting, outfit whenever a big tournament comes around. Mirza, on the other hand, generally is seen wearing a skirt longer than most and a polo shirt. How is that controversial?

Mirza is a practicing Muslim, and by wearing "short" skirts, she is showing off too much skin and looking too provocative. She's winning matches and making a name for herself in the tennis world, she wouldn't be able to do that in a salwar kameez.

*Sania Mirza and the bare feet controversy*

Mirza was watching a match on TV, her bare feet propped up on a table. She was leaning back, comfortable and relaxed. Oh no, another controversy for the Indian tennis player. Why? Because her bare feet were resting next to a small Indian flag. This "incident" is one of a few others that has taken Mirza to court for disrespect for her country.

A few other controversies include not standing at attention when the Indian National Anthem played, and for giving a speech about safe sex. All of these controversies have given Mirza other titles besides "India's tennis hero". She is also considered a corrupting influence on Indian youth.

*Sania Mirza and her wedding controversy*

The controversies just keep coming for Mirza. What should have been a happy announcement quickly became the hottest gossip news. Mirza announced her upcoming wedding to ex-cricket captain Shoaib Malek. Congratulations to the happy couple? Of course not.

 Every step of this marriage is being followed by the news and the people of India, but not because they want to share the happy occasion. Their upcoming marriage is causing controversy left and right. Will Mirza still play for India or will she play for Pakistan, Malek's home country? Although Mirza claims to continue to play for India, that's just no fun and the questions keep coming.

Then there is the problem of Malek's previous marriage. A woman named Aisha Seddiqi came out that she was married to Malek, and had a marriage license to prove it. She claims that Malek dumped her because his friends said she was fat. Seddiqi plans to keep the controversy coming for the couple, by saying that Malek must divorce her before he marries Mirza, or she will sue him.

Despite all the controversies surrounding Mirza her wedding is still set for April 15th, and she still plays tennis in a skirt.

Sources:

Singh, Preeti. Sania to Play for India After Wedding, IBNLive.com India

Sania Mirza, sania-mirza.org

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