NEW DELHI -- Tennis player Sania Mirza thinks it's scary that her outfits on the court, usually a short skirt and a midriff
revealing T-shirt, were becoming controversial back home in India.
Sections of orthodox Muslim clergy believe she is leading young Muslims, especially girls, astray. India's Sunni Ulema Board, a Muslim organization, issued an edict in October demanding Mirza, a
Muslim, cover up during her matches. The group described her tennis clothes as "un-Islamic."
"As long as I am winning, people shouldn't care whether my skirt is 6 inches long or 6 feet long," she told the Hindustan Times at a leadership forum organized by the newspaper.
"How I dress is a very personal thing," said Mirza, who turned
19 on Wednesday. "It is scary that every time I wear a T-shirt, it
becomes a talking point for the next three days."
Last month, Mirza said her clothing was appropriate and required
for the game.
In August, she became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth
round of any Grand Slam, but made it no further in the U.S. Open,
losing to Maria Sharapova, then ranked No. 1.
Mirza is now ranked No. 31 on the WTA Tour, up from No. 326 a little more than a year ago.