Ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza opened about the influential role of her parents, when she took to Tennis in the initial stages and how people mocked and sneered at her.
“I started playing tennis when I was six years old, at a time when a girl playing tennis in Hyderabad was unheard of. I came from a family full of cricketers, including my dad,” said Sania speaking after the launch of UN women’s anthem “Mujhe Haq Hai”
“When my parents actually said, she is going to play tennis, my aunts and uncles were like `kali ho jayegi dekhna, koi shaadi nahi karega’ (her skin will darken and nobody will marry her),” said Mirza.
“I thought my dad is the greatest hero because he stood up against everyone and said that I don’t care. They use to mock my parents and say what do you think, that your daughter is going to become a Martina Hingis? The fate had it that I had to win three of my Grand Slams with Martina Hingis,” the six time grand slam winner added.
Sania also speaked on the partiality with prize money for men and women.
“Till today we fight for equal prize money, we have to justify why (as) a tennis player we should make the same prize money that the men do.. so that means this inequality is everywhere in this world, not just in this part of the world,” The Hyderabad born tennis star said.
Sania, who announced the news of her pregnancy on 23rd April 2018, also revealed that her cricketer husband Shoaib Malik wants a girl child.
“And a secret is that my husband wants a girl very badly,” she said.
Kashmiri girl Tajamul Islam, who won the World Kick-boxing championship in 2016, also attended the event alongside Mirza.
