Today, Li Na, the diminutive Chinese tennis player won the French Open, thereby creating history by becoming the first Chinese and Asian-born player to win a singles grand slam. This feat is quite significant, given the fact that China has hardly any background in tennis, where players from the USA, Russia and Belgium have dominated (on the women's side) over the past decade. This victory brings to my mind a matchup between Sania Mirza and Li Na sometime in 2005, about the time when both the players had a ranking of somewhere close to 60-70. Since then, Sania Mirza has gone as high as #27 on the WTA Rankings to as low as #141, reached the 4th Round of the US Open (2005), courted controversy over every action of hers, from attire to husband to advertisements. Her achievements pale in front of Na Li, who will now move to #4 on the WTA Rankings, and has reached both grand slam finals this year.
Somehow, the freedom of the 4th estate has played its own part in Sania Mirza's underachieving career. From the moment she stepped on to the tennis arena, she has been followed by the media, drooling male fans, religious groups, advertising agencies and others alike. For her male following (there is at least some following I presume), it may be attributed to the fact that she is the first prominent Indian woman sportswoman in the era of the internet. She is also perceived as glamourous (for want of a better word). The glamour quotient explains the actions of the ad agencies. The Muslim religious groups have targeted her once too far, for reasons ranging from attire to playing with Shahar Peer (an Israeli) to playing tennis itself. And, her marriage to Saqlain Mushtaq clone Shoaib Malik has only added to the attention around her. And the media, for all these reasons, as also its own joblessness, has followed/stalked her.
It may be said that these myriad distractions, coupled with injuries, can wreck any sportsperson's career. Censorship in China, though a bane for that country, may have benefitted Li Na in her rise to the top, even though it may be argued that China has enough women superstars in badminton and table tennis for Li Na's rise to make an earth-shaking difference.
However, Sania's fellow Hyderabadi Saina Nehwal has had relatively lesser attention on her through her rise from the junior ranks, culminating in her reaching the #2 spot in the BWF Rankings. Even though she has appeared in advertisements for Airtel and Omega oil over the past year, attention on her off-field issues has been pretty minimal (no religious groups and celebrity marriages you see). I remember just one article in Times of India (which HAS to publish a glamorous article on ANY woman it 'deems' to be a celebrity). For some reason, Saina Nehwal hasn't been perceived to have a glamour quotient on par with that of Sania, though the reason may be due to the glamorous nature of women's tennis and the smaller following of badminton in India (Even if badminton tournaments are telecast, there is lower fanfare/marketing around them). ToI, (sigh), however would have you believe otherwise:
Whatever it may be, the lack of media attention/distraction has definitely benefitted Saina Nehwal, and India as well, for we can count on her to bring many more laurels to the Indian nation in the future.
As I sign-off, a question:
Li Na is the first Asian-born player to win a singles grand slam event. Who is the first player of Asian origin to do so? (Answers on your comments please)
Cheers!
