Sania Mirza shuts down news anchor over sexist question
Sania Mirza might be the world tennis number one in doubles and one of the highest paid athletes in India but the questions she repeatedly has to face — in a professional capacity — are tied to her gender.
The tennis star launched her autobiography Ace Against Odds, on Tuesday in Hyderabad but it seems to have left some empty pages. In an interview with news anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, Sania was asked about her plans for motherhood and “settling down”.
“Amidst all the celebrityhood, when is Sania going to settle down? Is it going to be in Dubai? Is it going to be in another country? What about motherhood? Building a family? I don’t see that in the book. It seems like you don’t want to retire yet to settle down,” said Rajdeep.
And what came next, blew everyone away.
You don’t think I am settled?,” asked Sania.
“You sound disappointed that I am not choosing motherhood over being number one in the world at this point of time. But I will answer your question anyway,” she further said.
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“This is one of the questions, as women, that we have to face all the time. Unfortunately, that’s when we are settled and no matter how many Wimbledons we win or number ones we become, we don’t become ‘settled’,” she added.
Since, Sania was on fire, Rajdeep realised his mistake and apologised instantly saying, “I must apologise. I think I phrased that question very badly. I promise, you’re right, I wouldn’t have asked that to a male athlete.”
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But that couldn’t stop Sania, “I hope that a few years from now on, a girl, when she is 29, isn’t asked the question about when’s she going to have a child when she is number one in the world.”
Nailed it! More power to you Sania!
