Indian ultra-nationalists rage at picture of Mirza

Sania Mirza of India puts her feet up as she watches her doubles partner Rohan Bopanna playing Peter Luczack during the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, on Jan 1. PHOTO: AFP

India's Sania Mirza needs to be left in peace to focus on her game, Indian tennis chief Anil Khanna said after a furore in her country over a photograph that shows her bare feet resting near the national flag.

His appeal came in the wake of a petition filed in a local court this week alleging the 21-year-old had shown disrespect to the national flag during the Hopman Cup mixed team event.

The Australian newspaper reported that an image, taken by a photographer at the Hopman Cup in Perth last week as Mirza was resting in a courtside box, had outraged ultra-nationalists in her homeland.

"Sania needs to be left alone," he said. "She has got a very important year ahead of her.

"More importantly in the Olympics, she will be playing in the women's singles and she has a great chance in women's doubles of winning a medal, Khanna said. "It will bring tremendous glory for the country."

Mirza, a Muslim, became the first Indian woman to win a tour title in 2005 and quickly established herself as the darling of success-starved Indian sports fans and a youth icon for her fashionable dresses and ear-rings.

The world No. 31, gearing up for the Australian Open starting on Monday, won praise for her sharp game at the Hopman Cup after she had to end last season early due to injury.

However, she has faced a series of complaints since she came under the spotlight.

Mirza an apology last month after a police complaint for trespass by authorities of a mosque in her hometown Hyderabad after she filmed an advertisement on its premises.

She has faced an edict in the past from a Muslim group after her tennis attire was termed un-Islamic.

In the latest petition, the court in the central city of Bhopal has directed Mirza to appear before it on March. 10.

"I earnestly request all people to leave her alone," Khanna said. "The people, media, they should not drag her into situations which are uncalled for."

"These things are weighing very heavily on her mind and is affecting her performance," he said. "The day the petition was filed, she lost in the quarter-final in Hobart."

"Sania is a great nationalist and she has the highest regard for the national flag," he said.