Controversies made me grow up, Mirza believes

LONDON: India's Sania Mirza believes the controversies that have plagued her career have been a blessing because they have made her grow up.

Most tennis players outside the top 10 live in relative anonymity, but Mirza, who set up a Wimbledon second-round clash with Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez by beating Catalina Castano on Tuesday, carries the hopes and expectations of a sports-mad nation.

In just the first four years of her career, the 21-year-old has found herself in trouble time and again.