After getting wild card entry in India’s Olympic Team, Tennis star Sania Mirza accused All India Tennis Association (AITA) that AITA is not dealing its tennis players in a professional way referring to the selection process for the London 2012 Olympic games. Sania will not be going to the London 2012 Olympic Games to participate in the singles tennis event but will be showing off her talent in the doubles event. She has been partnered with the top player of Indian tennis, Leander Paes. Sania claimed that this partnership has been made to use her as an incentive for Paes to take part in summer Olympics. “While I feel honoured…to partner Leander Paes, the manner and timing of the announcement wreaks of male chauvinism where a two time Grand Slam champion, who has been India’s number 1 women’s tennis player for almost a decade in singles and doubles, is offered as compensation to partner one of the feuding champions purely in order to lure him into accepting to play with a men’s player he does not wish to play with”, says Sania. AlTA has rejected Sania’s criticism that she was used as a “bait” to pacify the warring duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, saying that the decision to pair Sania with Paes is purely based on merit. AITA secretary general Bharat Oza said in a statement read by the executive director Ranbir Chauhan at a press conference, “Selection for the Olympics is based on merit, the team has been chosen by a professional selection committee. Leander and Sania can produce fantastic results together. We want them to do their best for India. Let’s leave all differences behind and play for India.” The apex tennis body of the India said it respects Sania and believes that she and Paes as a team are capable of winning a medal at the London Games. A professional tennis player, well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes, Sania Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 7 in doubles. She started her professional career in 2001 and gradually earned stars in the game of tennis and stood amongst the top most female tennis players around the world. Mirza represented India in 2008 Beijing Olympics but unfortunately she was eliminated from singles when she retired in a match against Iveta Benesova because of her right wrist injury. For doubles, she got a walkover through the first round with Sunitha Rao, but lost in the second round to Russia.
