Kudos! World No 1 Sania Mirza has beaten many odds, including fatwa

Sania Mirza has fought many battles, both on and off the court. Every time she steps on to the court, there are millions of expectations riding on her. Then there are others too. Be it the fatwa issued by Muslim clerics against her for wearing short skirts on the court or the criticism she faced when she decided to wed Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Yes, she is no stranger to controversies.

Every time, however, someone has tried to pin her down, the Indian ace has risen like a phoenix and her performance has forced her critics to fall silent into a corner. She has rarely ever minced words while putting her point across, even if it was at the cost of annoying the powers-that-be. It was this attitude that we saw when AITA offered her as "bait" to satisfy the ego of one of the top Indian tennis pro just before the 2012 London Olympics.

Tennis in India has always been dominated by men with Ramesh Krishnan, the Amritraj brothers, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi being some of the most successful stars from the country. Sania Mirza, hailing from a city like Hyderabad, where her family didn’t find great encouragement to let her pursue her dream, has been a harbinger of change.

The feisty character she is, she has stayed on course to fulfil a dream that she harboured since she was little. It’s no coincidence that two of India’s best female sports stars come from Hyderabad - both who have scaled dizzying heights in their respective sports recently. Badminton ace Saina Nehwal’s presence at the top of the world rankings speaks testimony to the fact that Indian women are to be taken seriously. Ever since Sania joined forces with Swiss star Martina Hingis at the start of this year, the two have had a remarkable run.

In sports, one has to make adjustments with time, one cannot just go on and on, without realising the wear and tear the body has to endure. It is for this reason why we see so many cricketers retiring from shorter formats to focus on the longer version.

Sania was ranked as high as 27 in the women’s singles, but the invasion of injuries did not let her go much beyond. However, she wasn’t someone to give up on her dream and that too so early on in her career. She switched to doubles and the results are there for all to see.

She is now World No 1 in the doubles, something no other Indian has ever achieved in tennis. In fact, she is just the fourth Asian after Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, China’s Peng Shuai and Taipei’s Hsieh Su-Wei to claim the coveted spot.

As accolades flow in from all corners of the world, one must note, the real tribute to Sania will not come via posts on Facebook and Twitter. She deserves our utmost respect from every citizen of the country.

She spent 22 years to reach the pinnacle of the game, and is still battling every day as she continues to play the sport with sincerity and vigour. She reached Hyderabad from the US on Tuesday, and this morning when she spoke to me, her commitment for sport and the country was disarmingly evident.

“I am sleep deprived after the 30 hour long flight, but I am just looking forward to playing right now, and playing at the Fed Cup. This is my first role as playing captain, and I am really excited. I don’t think there could have been a better celebration. I became World No 1 and I will be playing in Hyderabad after nine years.”

Kudos to you, Sania Mirza.