India's top tennis star, Sania Mirza, will boycott all tournaments in India this year after a series of off-court controversies, disappointing officials and millions of fans.
Mirza, 21, has opted out of the country's leading tennis event -- next month's US$600,000 Bangalore Open -- saying it was becoming impossible to deal with the controversies.
"Every time I have played in India there has been some kind of problem so we just thought it was better not to play at this point," she said.
PHOTO: AFP
The player, who is a Muslim, has been criticized by Islamist groups for wearing short skirts while playing, and in December apologized for filming an advert near a historic mosque in her home city of Hyderabad. She also faces prison if a court rules she showed disrespect to the Indian flag during a tournament in Australia last month. Media photographs show her bare feet resting near the Indian flag.
Mirza, Asia's highest-ranked tennis player at No. 29, said she had considered quitting the game because of the rows. Tennis writers say that next month's Bangalore Open, which will be contested by Venus and Serena Williams, will be poorer without Mirza, who in 2005 became the first Indian woman to win a Women's Tennis Association title.
Sharda Ugra, who writes for India Today magazine, said: "When she plays you get a whole different crowd. I think with Sania we have seen her celebrity get bigger than her athleticism."
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was