‘Got more questions about personal life than game,’ says Sania Mirza.
Former Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has voiced her disappointment over the continued scrutiny of women’s personal lives despite their professional achievements.
The athlete, who recently went through a separation from Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, took to social media to express her sentiments.
Mirza shared an advertisement from an Indian company offering home-based beauty and care services.
The ad depicted a woman who had purchased a car with her hard-earned money but faced judgment due to her profession as a masseuse.
Also read: Sania Mirza’s one-word post after announcing divorce with Shoaib Malik
Sania Mirza says she got more questions about personal life than game.
Mirza revealed that the ad resonated with her own experiences of being unfairly judged throughout her tennis career, despite winning six major titles.
Taking to her Instagram Story, Mirza wrote, “In my career, even after winning 6 grand slams, I got more questions about my personal life than my game.”
The 37-year-old athlete, who is also a mother to five-year-old Izhaan Mirza Malik, questioned society’s reluctance to acknowledge women’s achievements without delving into their personal affairs.
Her post highlights the ongoing struggle for women to be recognized based on their professional merits rather than their personal relationships or choices.
It’s worth noting that Mirza’s recent separation from Shoaib Malik came to light last month.
Sources close to the couple revealed that Mirza’s dissatisfaction stemmed from Malik’s interactions with other women, an issue she had been overlooking for some time.
Mirza’s candid reflection sheds light on the broader societal issue of gender bias and the need for greater recognition of women’s accomplishments independent of their personal lives.
As a prominent figure in both Indian and international sports, Mirza‘s words carry weight and contribute to ongoing conversations about gender equality and representation in sports and beyond.
Sania Mirza is an Indian former professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she won six major titles – three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles in 2013, she was ranked by the Women’s Tennis Association as the No. 1 Indian in singles.
