An open letter (apology) to Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza

Dear Sania,

You may not know me, but I write this letter to you as an Indian tennis fan. For the record, I am not the son-in-law of any other country or of anyone for that matter, so hopefully my credentials as an Indian or as a tennis fan will not come under question.

Growing up in the 1990s, as I got absorbed, sucked and swallowed whole into the world of tennis, I desperately yearned for an Indian tennis player to break through on the international scene. I was just about born when Vijay Amritraj was breaking into the world’s top 20 in the late 70s, and way too young when Ramesh Krishnan was weaving his magic on the tennis canvas in the mid-80s.

But with each passing season, my dream to see an Indian challenger at the top level of my favourite sport in the world seemed destined to remain just that – a dream.

Sure, there were some glimmers of hope before you came along. Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open mixed doubles title in 1997. Leander Paes broke into the top 100 on the ATP Tour, won an ATP singles title and even scored a win over Pistol Pete in 1998. And Leander and Mahesh combined to become the World No.1s in doubles in the late 1990s.

But it wasn’t until you burst onto the scene in 2005 that I could finally experience the thrill of following and tracking an Indian week-in week-out at the highest level of professional singles tennis. And for that, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. And for everything that you have accomplished since.

But I would also like to take this opportunity apologise to you on behalf of all my fellow Indians, who seem to have made a national pastime out of bringing you down. So here it goes:

I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of my fellow Indians, who targeted you for playing tennis in shorts and skirts.

I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of my fellow Indians, who targeted you for your message on safe sex being a bad influence on the youth.

I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of my fellow Indians, who targeted you for being disrespectful towards the Indian flag and labelled you unpatriotic (this despite you turning up at every possible opportunity to play for your country).

I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of my fellow Indians, who used you as a bargaining chip in the whole London Olympics fiasco.

I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of my fellow Indians, who targeted you for wearing t-shirts with messages, who targeted your fitness, who targeted you for wasting your talent, who targeted you for your red carpet appearances and who targeted the accent you spoke in.

And I’m sorry Sania, on behalf of all my fellow Indians, who questioned your Indianness because you chose to marry a man who is not one of us.

I’m also sorry Sania, for all the times in the future that our fellow Indians will target you even as you continue to reach new milestones in Indian tennis and help nurture the next generation of Indian tennis players. Because I am sure that there will be many more such instances in the future.

I wouldn’t blame you if you did, in fact, decide that you have had enough of putting up with our incessant negativity. And I wouldn’t blame you if you did decide to play for any other country.

It’s certainly not a good feeling to be not loved by your own countrymen, especially when there are many others outside our borders who would welcome you with open arms.

So Sania, go do what’s best for you. Play for yourself or for your country. Reside in India or outside. Hold on to your Indian citizenship or trade it in for another. Raise your kids as Indians or as foreigners. It just doesn’t matter to me!

No matter what happens, I’ll always be in your corner cheering for you. Because for me, Sania Mirza will always be synonymous with Indian tennis, and nothing is ever going to change that.

Regards,

Haresh