Sania Mirza, the former world No. 1 doubles player who is slated to retire from professional tennis next month, sent a poignant message with her fans on social media on second Friday of Jan 2023.
The Indian tennis star had stated that the Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 will be her final competition and that her priorities have shifted with the passage of time.
Sania Mirza, now 36 and the mother of a four-year-old kid, has recently struggled with fitness. Sania Mirza’s final Grand Slam appearance will be in the Australian Open in 2023, which begins on January 16.
“Thirty (yes, thirty!) years ago, a six-year-old girl from Hyderabad’s Nasr School came onto a tennis court at Nizam Club with her young mother and fought the instructor to learn how to play tennis…
The battle for our aspirations began at six o’clock!” Sania Mirza mentioned in her Saturday message.
Sania Mirza made her debut in 2001 and has since gone on to become one of India’s greatest tennis players. The Australian Open was also the site of an 18-year-Grand old’s Slam debut in 2005 and her maiden Grand Slam victory in 2009.
Sania Mirza won six Grand Slams in her 22-year career, three in mixed doubles and three in women’s doubles.
“We dared to dream of eventually competing in a Grand Slam and representing our nation with honor at the highest level in sport,” Sania Mirza remarked.
“As I reflect on my career, I realize that not only did I get to play in well over half a century of Grand Slam events, but I was also lucky enough to win a number of them, with God’s grace.” “According to Sania Mirza.
In addition, the Indian tennis star has competed in four separate Olympic Games.
Since her Asian Games debut in 2002, the Indian tennis player has won eight medals (two gold, three silver, and three bronze). Sania Mirza won silver in singles and bronze in women’s doubles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
“Winning medals for my country has been my greatest honor, and I am truly humbled to have been able to stand on the podium, knowing that the tricolor had been raised high to be seen and respected by millions of people all over the world, all because of something that I was privileged enough to accomplish. Even as I say this, I have tears in my eyes and chills “Sania Mirza expressed her feelings in an impassioned statement.
Sania Mirza announced her retirement at the end of the 2022 season. However, an elbow injury in August cut her season short, and she chose to postpone her retirement plans because she wanted to go out on her own terms. Mirza also thanked her family, fans, and support staff in her statement for being there for her through good and difficult times.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of my parents and sister, my family, my coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, fans, supporters, partners, and my whole team, who have stuck with me through thick and thin throughout the years…
It’s all of you who have helped me get through the most difficult times in my life and who have inspired this small girl from Hyderabad to not just dream but also to realize her goals. So please accept my heartfelt gratitude.”
Sania Mirza will compete at the Australian Open women’s doubles partnering Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina. In 2016, the Indian tennis player won the Australian Open doubles title alongside Martina Hingis.
Mirza also won the Australian Open mixed doubles championship in 2009 with Mahesh Bhupathi, although her participation in the category at the Australian Open 2023 is yet unknown.