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Sania Mirza has resolved to "stay mum" in
2006 and let her racquet do all the talking.
Asked at a press conference if the controversies that
enveloped her last year - about everything from the
length of her skirt to her (misquoted) views on pre-marital
sex - had taught her anything, Sania said that while
she felt she had not done or said anything wrong, she
had learnt that "there are lots of things that
are not in your control".
"I'm probably going to try and stay a bit more
mum," she said.
She said it is difficult to take "when there are
a billion people commenting about you every time you
get on court or are doing anything".
As for media criticism, she said, "I don't think
anything can stop them from writing -whether it's about
my injury or something else."
What keeps her going, she says, is her love of the game.
"I just want to go out there and give of my best.
You just have to do what you have to do and give it
your 100 per cent every time. When people talk negative
about me," she said, "I just want to prove
them wrong."
Asked if the injury timeout since October had been
a blessing Sania said that an injury can never be a
blessing. "It's hard for a tennis player to be
out for over two months and get back. I don't ever want
to be injured. By the way, even when she was injured
the controversies hadn't stopped. They just found new
things to write about me."
Sania takes on three-time Wimbledon champion Venus
Williams in the opening singles match at the Watson
Water Champions Challenge on Wednesday. The eight-player
exhibition event features three reigning Grand Slam
champions — Venus Williams (Wimbledon), Serena
Williams (Australian Open), and Kim Clijsters (US Open)
— and world number one Lindsay Davenport.
Besides Sania, the 2005 Hyderabad Open winner, Nicole
Vaidisova (Japan Open), Zheng Jie (China National Games
champion), and Elena Dementieva (Federation Cup) complete
the line-up.
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