Hyderabad, February 4
Battling controversies ranging from her on-court attire to off-court appearances, tennis star Sania Mirza today pulled out of the WTA Bangalore Open, scheduled to be held from March 3 to 9.
"Every time I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So, I just thought it was better not to play this time," Sania told reporters here.
The surprise announcement came in the backdrop of recent controversies over her participation in a commercial shoot near the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and the flag controversy during the Hopman Cup in December.
"I am not playing in Bangalore Open. I have been advised by my manager not to play (there) because a lot has been happening in the past few months," she said.
However, Sania, ranked 29 in the world, said she would represent the country in the matches outside India.
"Moreover, playing in India is not as important to me as playing for my country. I've never shirked the responsibility of playing for my country even when I was injured," she said.
"A lot has happened and I thought about a lot of things. Here I am giving
everything for the country and to have to deal with this kind of attention just as I was preparing for a Slam is bothersome. I felt better not play," the Hyderabadi sensation said.
It was not normal for any youngster to block such pressure all the time and keep performing, she said.
Sania is yet to recover from her hamstring injury and hopes to be fit in about three weeks.
"I had an MRI scan done and it's a 5 cm tear of the adductor muscle but the injury is healing. But I've decided against playing the Bangalore Open," Sania added.
