India is a sports-loving nation and has a special space in India. We are blessed to have Word class athletes and players who have produced so many great sportsmen in every sport. In recent times Indian women athletes have amazed us by breaking the gender barrier and creating a niche that inspired the future generation. Sania Mirza has reached the top against odds and also made us proud by being trailblazers the best game-changers we will ever know.
Sania was born in Mumbai on 15th November 1986. The family moved to Hyderabad. At a very young age of six, she started training Lawn tennis. During the initial phases was coached by her father Imran Mirza. She graduated from St. Mary’s College but her real goal was to become a professional tennis player and to that end, she started taking part in tournaments in India. In 2001, she started playing in the ITF tournaments and the following year she won three titles to cement her credentials as an upcoming player. The following year she won a Bronze Medal in the Busan Asian Games in the mixed doubles.
Sania Mirza has had a long and illustrious career, has won several trophies, and awards. She is one of the most popular female sportspersons in our country. She is a trailblazer who has brought women tennis to the limelight and at the same time inspired young athletes to take up the sports. She also holds the rare record of being the only player to have broken into the top 30 of the WTA singles rankings. She has a legendary status in the doubles circuit by partnering with Martina Hingis playing with some of the best players in women’s and mixed doubles. They went to become the best doubles players on the planet, winning 3 Slams and 2 WTA Finals titles.
India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza took the world by storm when she announced that 2022 will her last season on the WTA tour. The news has come as a shock to the entire sporting loving nation, who make this announcement post her first-round loss in women’s doubles. Sania along with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok, lost 4-6 6-7(5) to the Slovenian team of Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan in one hour and 37 minutes. “My body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older.”
Post-match interaction with the media was quoted saying, “There are a few reasons for it. It’s not as simple as ‘okay I’m not going to play. I do feel my recovery is taking longer, I’m putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older.”
She was quoted saying Also for me to find that motivation every day to come out. The energy is not the same anymore. There are more days than there used to be where I don’t feel like doing that. I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process which I’m not sure I’m enjoying as much anymore.”
She further elaborated saying “I was very sure that this was going to be my last season when I started the year or even in December. Just the way my body is playing, I don’t think I can finish the season. I want to play the full season, I’m still 50-60 in the world, I played nine tournaments last year. I do think I have the level to play, it’s not about that. As an athlete, I think I can go deep into tournaments.”
Her current rank is 68. Sania is a former World No. 1 in doubles and her best rank was 27 in singles.
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