Thaindian News

Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) India’s tennis star Sania Mirza says she has set her sights on the 2012 Australian Open.

“I am focusing on Australian Open and preparing hard for it. There is a lot of time to go for the event and anything can happen in between,” Sania said here during a event organised by the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC).

Asked about the controversies surrounding her, Sania said: “I never paid attention to the opinions of the people. They have opinions and I have mine. I have never responded to the controversies on what I wear, whom I marry and what I talk about and hence, why should it matter?”

Sania was also amused that her marriage with former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik became a topic of debate on both sides of the border.

“It’s about two people getting married irrespective of their nationalities. Why should nationality come in between? I was asked if this would improve the political relations between the two countries and I did not see any sense in such questions,” she said.

“The media was camping outside my home and a chai-wala opened up his shop to cash-on the media frenzy. There have been good and bad experiences but because I have been seeing the media glamour from very early age, I have grown up to accept it,” she said.