Today's celebrities are well aware of their responsibilities as role models but can well do without public interference in their private lives. As tennis star Sania Mirza says, “As long as I'm winning, people shouldn't care whether my skirt is six inches long or six feet long.”

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Wednesday, Sania said, “How I dress is a very personal thing.” Wearing a long-sleeved black-and-white shirt with conservative black pants, she was speaking out in public for the first time since a cleric issued a fatwa against the way she dressed on court.

Sania, who became the first Indian woman tennis player to enter the fourth round of a Grand Slam at the US Open in September, was in the eye of a storm when, just days later, a little-known Muslim religious scholar asked her to change her dress code while playing tennis tournaments.

At that time, Sania had refused to comment.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, she said in response to a question by moderator Vir Sanghvi, HT’s editorial director, on how she coped with the pressure: “As a public figure everyone’s going to have an opinion about you. It’s up to you to take that opinion seriously or not.”

She said it was ‘scary’ that every time she wears a T-shirt, it becomes a talking point for the next three days.

"Everything a celebrity does is in the public eye," said the 19 year old. "It used to annoy me earlier but as you get more mature, you learn."

She added: "I am comfortable with the attention now. But as a human being, I value my privacy. Just a simple act like going out for lunch means that everyone's looking at me, at what I'm wearing. I'm fine with attention, but not at private moments."

But, she added, she was conscious that she was a role model for many young people. "As public figures we all have our responsibilities. We all have to set an example for everyone,” she said.

Sania was speaking on the 'Role of the Celebrity: Influencing Public Policy' along with F-1 racer Narain Karthikeyan and Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova.

Being in the limelight did put a lot of pressure, the celebs admitted. "Of course there is pressure, but I'm thankful to God that I'm where I can make a difference, maybe, to society,” Sania said.

She said she was fortunate that there had never been any pressure from her family. "I was always taught that in sports, as in life, you're not always going to win," she said. All three spoke of causes close to their heart. If Glebova, as Miss Universe, supports AIDS-related causes, Sania wants to get involved with removing female infanticide. Narain said he would like to see safe driving become a public issue.