Sania drops a bombshell

India star Sania Mirza makes a point during a media conference at her residence in Hyderabad on Monday.Photo: AFP

In a shocking decision, India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza yesterday pulled out of next month's WTA Bangalore Open to avoid being dragged into fresh controversies which have been dogging her career of late.
The 21-year-old Sania has cited the petty controversies that have been chasing her for quite some time as the main reason for the surprise pullout.
"I am not playing in Bangalore Open. I have been advised by my manager not to play (there) because a lot has been happening in the past few months," Sania told reporters here.
"Everytime I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So we just thought it was better not to play this time," she added.
Ever since her breakthrough 2005 season, Sania has been battling controversies ranging from her on court attire being dubbed indecent by Islamic fundamentalists to the recent flag controversy during the Hopman Cup in December last year.
In fact, the off court furores had shaken the world number 29 to such an extent that she had contemplated giving up the game altogether a few weeks before last month's Australian Open.
"It (pulling out of Bangalore Open) is not an extreme reaction. The controversies have been going on for a long time. It is not easy to deal which such stuff", he said.
"I have gone through great lows in the last few weeks. It has been difficult to try and stay focussed", she said.