The legendary tennis star, Sania Mirza has announced her retirement. Her announcement came after her first round loss in women’s doubles at the Australian open. The 35-year-old tennis icon revealed that she will retire after finishing the ongoing season. Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner, Nadiia Kichenok, seeded 12th, lost 4-6, 6-7 to the unseeded Slovenian pair of Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek in one hour and 36 minutes.
After the match Sania told the broadcasters at Melbourne Park, “There’s 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 three-year-old son at risk by traveling 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,”
“Also for me to find that motivation everyday 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 added.
Ace Indian tennis star added that it will be difficult for her to continue the game beyond the current season she said, “I want to play till the end of this season,”
Reacting to the news of the star’s retirement, Mohammad Azharuddin, Former Captain of the Indian Cricket team said, “Congratulations on a brilliant career @MirzaSania. You deserve all the accolades. I look forward to hear from you as an expert commentator in the near future.”
Bollywood celebrities also took to their social media handles and reacted to the news. Indian actor Ranveer Singh took to Instagram and posted a picture of Sania Mirza holding the Indian national flag. Along with the picture, he wrote “Queen @mirzasaniar”
Sania Mirza has a career laden with achievements, in her professional career she has won six grand slams and also bagged 14 medals across multiple sporting events. She also won six gold medals for India. Sania Mirza is the first Indian to break into the top 30 in the WTA singles ranking and remains the only female tennis star to win a WTA title. Sania is also the first Indian to break into the top 30 in the WTA singles ranking. She has won the WTA finals on two occasions, first in 2014 with Cara Black and then in 2015 with Martina Hingis, where she successfully defended her crown.
Sania won the 2009 Australian Open and the 2012 French Open after pairing up with fellow Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupati. Her third crown for mixed doubles at the Slams during the 2014 US Open, she teamed up with Brazil’s Bruno Soares. In 2015, the duo of Mirza and Hingis won the Wimbledon and US Open titles, after which The pair went on to secure their third Grand Slam title with an iconic victory at the 2016 Australian Open. Sania remains one of the best doubles players India has managed to produce.The Indian tennis star is a four-time Olympian. Sania Mirza participated in her debut Games at Beijing 2008. In her first round singles outing, the Indian had to retire in the second set against Czech opponent Iveta Benesova due to a wrist injury. In the doubles event, she and her partner Sunitha Rao bowed out in the second round.
The tennis superstar has also remained in the headlines for her marriage to the ace Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010. The two reportedly got married after five months of courtship, which is still questioned by many for being an impulsive decision. In 2018, she gave birth to her son Izhaan Mirza Malik after the birth of her baby, the iron lady returned to tennis in 2020.
Vishaal Uppal while talking about Sania Mirza said, “She’s set the bar for women’s players from India. Younger generations will now have someone to try to match, and do better than.”
After 21 years of her tennis career, Sania Mirza, a woman who refused to be led, now leaves a legacy for many to follow.
Ramsha Saghir is a Clinical Psychologist by profession. She is an Intersectional Feminist and writes on gender equality, societal issues and mental health.
