Despite hype, Sania still a role model

Sania Mirza beat Monday blues to break into the top-30 in the world rankings. And ended a 20-year drought to become the first Indian, man or woman, to be in that slot after Ramesh Krishnan, who was ranked 23 in 1987.

As the 20-year-old climbed the rankings, she raised the hopes of a billion Indians who consider her India’s answer to Maria Sharapova – high on style, high on content. A deserving youth icon. But the youngster, much like Sachin Tendulkar and other sporting genius in the country, has inevitably found herself the topic of intense debate. Her yo-yoing on the world rankings, choking at big matches and her many endorsements have provided the fodder. The camera loves her, but does that make for good tennis?

On a TimesofIndia.com debate we asked whether the Hyderabad lass was all hype, little substance. The result was close. There is no place for complacency for India’s most high-profile tennis star as of the hundreds of readers that participated in the debate, a sobering 57% felt Sania was more hype, created by the media and endorsers.

But, 43 per cent is not an insignificant number. Sania has her loyalists and they are vociferous in their support. RG Natarajan from Kuwait , wrote in to say that whatever may be her shortcomings in her game Sania is one of the very few role models we have today in India for millions of young Indian girls and boys on whose shoulders the destiny of our country rests.

Shamsheer Ali, from San Francisco , in concurrence with Natarajan, feels that “Sania Mirza, undoubtedly, is a true icon of Indian tennis and sports. There is nothing wrong with her being famous. Certainly, she is a rare mix of talent and beauty. Her records and rankings say it all.

For Bangalore-based Rajaram , criticism against Sania is a clear no-no. “I want to ask the people who are critical of Sania: What are you people good at? Talking? Criticising? What else? These critics are all members of NATO - No Action Talk Only. Sania is where she is today by her own efforts as well as the efforts of her parents. The advertisers like her. So what? There are advertisers and sponsors for Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams etc. Sania is not yet world no.1 or 2 or 10 or 20 because she has her own restrictions - maybe physical, mental, cultural, racial, whatever. Don't criticise anyone if you cannot do better,” is what he strongly feels.

Rajaram is not alone in the Sania fan club. Harshal from Daman rubbishes the hype halo surrounding her. “No, she is not hyped. Hyped players cannot beat the world's best players 4-5 times, which she did in last month,” s/he goes on to emphasise.

R Venkat, from Santa Clara has this take on the budding tennis sensation: “Sania competing in the top 30-itself is a great achievement. Agreed she is not consistent, but at least she has the talent to be one of the 30 best women in world of Tennis. Media might have hyped her, but she doesn't deserve - "little substance". Shame on those who voted "Yes"” is his strong reaction.

Palani, from USA , gives her a thumbs-up over Team India and feels that she is doing million times better than the Indian cricket players. Agrees Savio Pinto from New Zealand Sania has put in a lot of hard work over the years to reach where she is today. We must give her all the encouragement she needs and not discouragement every time she doesn't produce results. At least she has reached somewhere where the Indian cricket hasn't reached with all the funding, huge salaries and sponsors they receive.

Pooja, from UK, is also on the same wavelength. Sania Mirza is the only female tennis player representing India on international platform. She is certainly an inspiration for the coming generation. Sania may not be among the top female tennis player but her every achievement is taken as a matter of pride by many Indians. I think it is absolutely wrong to criticise someone's hard work and talent. She is inspiring many young females in India and perhaps if she does not win any grand slam, I am sure the new players will one day.

However, there are many who aren’t too kicked about her stamina and perseverance and feel that she still has a long way to go before she comes of age. Arjun, from the USA , feels she needs to lose weight and add some muscle. She is too weak compared to Russian and American tennis players.

Suresh Babu from NYC, is appalled at the celebrity status accorded to her and feels that only “the crowd has made her a winner in her hometown and meagre luck brought her to the Australian open, and which increased her WTA rankings. Commenting on her serves, he terms her first and second serves as pathetic and feels that she still has not learnt how to run across the tennis court. WTA top ten ranking players always demolish her without any mercy. The latest one we had seen in Acura last week. She is no good for glad slam tournaments, may be useful in Tier 3. She should give up singles and focus on doubles” is his advice to her.

Akkaiah Choudhary from Assam, compares her to Team India and highlights the fact that like the Men In Blue, our girl is also a choker, ultimately. “She is inconsistent. She is exactly like the Indian cricket team. No predictable at all even against weaker opponents like India against Bangladesh. However, she is predictable when she plays tougher opponents as she goes down without a fight like India against Australia. Now the question is whether she has it in her to break into to the top ten and stay there for about say 3 months. Debadutta Singh from Bhubaneswar agrees and calls her the Tendulkar of tennis --absolutely useless when needed to perform.

Sania’s off-court don’t-give-a-damn attitude also doesn’t augur well with many. ”Flaunting your attitude on your tee shirts is different and carrying your attitude to your game and converting a losing game into a winning one is different,” Sachin from Bangalore has to say.

Kaadambari, from Tokyo agrees that “Sania is all hype and can in now way be compared to Maria Sharapova as the latter works hard unlike her. I wish Sania concentrates more on the game than being updated with latest fashion tips”.

Conservatives also seem to have a problem with her trendy fashion statement, including her much-talked about nose ring. Naushad from Dubai is of the view her pierced nose doesn’t really add to her game.

Although Ritesh from Delhi doesn’t have any problem with her nose rings or T-shirts, he feels that “she is an OHC (over-hyped creature). She has only one WTA title to her credit. She falters completely against Sharapovas, Williams, Hengis. She doesn’t have even a win to compare with upcoming stars like Ana Ivanovic and Anna Chakvetadze.

Ritesh further says that Sania always has an alibi to cover her defeats. Sometimes she says that her favourite is grass after she is defeated on clay and she shifts to hard court after tasting defeat on grass. She has a very poor record in grand slams as slams are a true test of a champion.

Ravi from Abu Dhabi , however feels that the media has a lot to blame for her choking status. Had the media not made her a demi-goddess, she might be doing a lot better and would have shown more consistency.