I was stalked: Sania Mirza

Tennis queen Sania Mirza enjoys iconic status in the sub-continent. Her feats of winning the Junior girls doubles Wimbledon title and later becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour title have made her into a celebrity in India.

An indicator of her popularity can be gauged from the fact that she attracted a television audience of 38 million during her historic maiden WTA Tour title. But then success and fame come at a price.

In a startling revelation she was quoted in The Guardian, that she also has been a victim of stalking. “I even have intruders coming into the house; it’s pretty frightening,” Sania revealed.

“There was this guy. He was a little strange. He kept sending gifts. He also came right into the house. I have a security guard now. Whenever I go out I have to go with my guard and it can be a problem. At night I have an extra security guard.”

As for her preparation for Wimbledon, she faced a set back yesterday when she bowed out of the DFS Classic tournament in Birmingham, England in the second round losing to third seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia Montenegro. Mirza lost 1-6 5-7 in one hour and nine minutes