Male Chauvinism etc....

More than 15 years ago, I walked into the office of an AITA official. I was just back from one of our Fed Cup events where I was instrumental in steering India into Group 1 of Fed Cup Asia Oceania. I wanted to ask him for sponsorship as I had been no.1 in India for sometime then, but was struggling to make ends meet on the WTA tour. As there had been no women tennis professionals before me, I had no one to turn for advice in terms of travel or entry procedures or finding doubles partners. Everything was brand new. When I asked the official to help me with sponsorships, he never actually responded to that question. Instead he said “ Beti, you are like my granddaughter, I think you should think about getting married and settle down”. I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say, I decided I would never ask the AITA for sponsorships again. I also didn’t heed his advice, Thank God. Otherwise, I would have never been able to set the record for the 1st Indian female to win a round at a Grand Slam or play Olympics for India or have the most appearances for India at Fed Cup. Male chauvinism was something I lived with, it was part of our culture. There was an underlying sneer and nonchalance about Women and sports in India. If an AITA official himself had no hopes for me, you can only imagine the rest. While my immediate family and friends in the town of Coimbatore were quite supportive of my endeavor, there were a few who knew how to put a dampener on things. They would try to advice my dad into saying” She is somebody else’s “property”. Why are you spending so much money on her”? We lived with this sort of thing every day . But this was more than 15 years ago. Years before Sania Mirza came onto the scene. But this is now, Sania Mirza is made to face the brunt of male chauvinism when she was literally made a pawn to appease Leander Peas. Sania's statement after her wild card was announced could not have been more emphatic. No player of India should have been used as a pawn in egotistical dramas. She is, after all, the undisputed queen of Indian tennis and the ONLY player male or female who can actually fill a 5000 capacity stadium in India. Her diplomacy and single minded intent of putting India first are traits that our men may have forgotten. The timing of this statement was impeccable and so was the content. The outrage that I felt for her, was duly brought in her statement when she wrote "As an Indian woman belonging to the 21st century, what I find disillusioning is the humiliating manner in which I was put up as a bait to try and pacify one of the disgruntled stalwarts of Indian tennis". I can only sympathize with her and hope she can put all this behind her when she starts her campaign in London. Knowing the woman she is, these things are bound to make her stronger mentally as she has a way of coming through against all odds.

Olympics....

Sania's statement after her wild card was announced could not have been more emphatic. No player of India should have been used as a pawn in egotistical dramas. She is,after all,the undisputed queen of Indian tennis and the ONLY player male or female who can actually fill a 5000 capacity stadium in India. The male players can also learn a thing or two from her. Her diplomacy and single minded intent of putting india first are traits that our men may have forgotton . The timing of this statement was impeccable and so was the content. The outrage that i felt for her,was duly brought in her statement when she wrote "As an Indian woman belonging to the 21st century, what I find disillusioning is the humiliating manner in which I was put up as a bait to try and pacify one of the disgruntled stalwarts of Indian tennis". A few months ago, Sania did call me from Indian Wells with the most bizarre question "Are you sitting down?Do you want to play Olympics with me"? I was stunned for sure. But my first response to her was " Why not Rushmi? What about other girls"? ( At that time, her ranking was 8 or 9)All she said was that since she was top 10, she could pick her own partner. While playing for India, was the biggest honor, I was very reluctant to go through the whole deal again.I hadnt played any tournaments and to get into that TORNADO wasnt something that made me jump for joy!!!.Its like the Devil or the Deep Blue Sea when you have to travel with a young child. Leaving them is just as hard as taking them with you for tournaments. To put my family through that again isnt an easy choice. And after all this,being used like a "curry leaf" is something you need to get used to when you play for India. Sania spoke to AITA as well and since I had no ranking, I wished her the best in finding her the best partner possible. Rushmi surely deserves this wild card for all her hard work and perseverance through the years. She has set such a good example for the juniors! But then, where is the generation next???? AITA, are u listening?

Sad, but true...

Indian tennis at the Olympics- I am appalled at the way random people are questioning the patriotism of Bhupathi,Paes and Bopanna. These guys have "served" for India for decades together and they don't need to answer these questions. Their numerous Davis Cups,Asian games and Olympics speak for themselves.. Its BECAUSE of their patriotism that they are trying to find the best team to get India a medal. According to the rankings, Rohan Bopanna is ranked above Mahesh Bhupathi.If they were going to send just one team, the most logical pairing for India to win a medal would have been a Bopanna and Paes partnership. Where on earth did they come up with a Paes-Bhupathi partnership out of the blue???I would have loved to be a fly on a wall at that WONDERFUL selection meeting:) Then comes the question, why only one team? That's because AITA has always favored Leander Paes. This is their way of ensuring Bopanna-Bhupathi pair will be cut off. Paes is surely getting the tough end of the bargain, now that Bopanna and Bhupathi have refused to play with him. But on the other hand,nobody can be forced to play with each other- this is the 21st century ,right? A Sania-Bhupathi pairing for mixed doubles should not be meddled with at any cost. This is what is logical. But let's hope they stick to logic when that decision is due. In hindsight-The AITA is responsible for grooming the next rung to compete with these guys.They should have set up a training camp to see who can be next best to support these 3 at least a year ago. This scenario could have been easily avoided had someone with a tennis background been in charge of things. AITA should have brought in Davis Cup captain SP Mishra or someone of that stature to mediate. This kind of soap opera could be been avoided if only AITA had been impartial. Sad, but true......