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INDIAN WELLS: India’s Sania Mirza is hoping to renew her doubles partnership with Israel’s Shahar Peer despite protests from some Muslim and Jewish groups. Mirza said she would have played with Peer at this week’s Pacific Life Open, but the Israeli player had already booked a partner.“You shouldn’t mix up sports with anything else,’’ she said at the March 8-19 tournament in Indian Wells. “If I had to follow the stereotype of what a woman athlete should be in India, then I wouldn’t be playing tennis because there aren’t many girls who pick up rackets when they are six. If you believe it’s right, if your loved ones believe it’s right, then it’s right.’’
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Mirza and Peer united for the first time when they reached the quarter-finals of the event in Bangkok last October, but their partnership was met with anger by some religious groups. “We’re playing sports. We don’t think about politics,” Peer said, during Bangkok tournament.Saina’s results in 2006 have been poor. “You should never be satisfied. People come up with that I’m the first Indian woman to accomplish blah, blah, blah, and that’s the hardest part for me. I would like to believe I’m tough enough to cope with all this pressure, but everyone has their moments.We’re not machines, we’re human. We have our breakdowns and feel lonely,” she said.