Sania Mirza admits she considered quitting over flag row

By Simon Cambers

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Sania Mirza, at the centre of controversy in India for reportedly disrespecting her national flag, admitted on Tuesday she had considered quitting the sport over the row.

But the 21-year-old, who advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-2 win over Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan, said it was only a fleeting thought and she expected to be around for a while yet.

"I think a lot of thoughts went through my head in the last couple of weeks," Mirza told reporters.

"One of the thoughts was that, but I wouldn't say it was serious enough that I am going to quit right now."

Mirza is the subject of a court summons in Bhopal after a private citizen made a complaint under the country's Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act.

The controversy surrounds a photograph taken at the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth, played at the beginning of the year, that appeared to show Mirza's bare feet resting near the national flag.

The maximum punishment for the offence is a three-year jail term, but Mirza, one of her country's biggest sporting heroes, said she would never do anything to hurt India.

"I just know that I would not do anything to disrespect my country" she said.