Indian Lawn Tennis champion and star player, Sania Mirza is set to retire from international tennis after the Australian Open 2023. She wrote an emotional note on Instagram as she announced her retirement. Sharing pictures, right from her childhood throwback pics to winning various championships over the years, the post showed Sania’s triumphant career in the sport.
Sania wrote, “Thirty (yes, 30!) years ago a 6 year old girl from Nasr School in Hyderabad, walked on to a tennis court at Nizam Club with her young mom and fought the coach to let her learn how to play tennis as he thought that she was too little :). The fight for our dreams began at 6! With a lot of hope despite all the odds stacked against us, we dared to dream of playing in a Grand Slam some day and of representing our country with honour at the highest level in sport. As I look back at my career now, not only did I get to play well over half a century of Grand Slam tournaments but I was fortunate enough to win a bunch of them, too, with God's grace.” Read the full statement below:
Earlier, Sania had announced that she would be retiring after WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships which gets underway on February 19. At the Australian Open, Sania will pair up with Kazakhstan's Anna Danilina to compete in the women's doubles event.
Sania had made her Australian Open debut in 2005, and lifted the mixed doubles and women's doubles titles in 2009 and 2014, respectively. She had been the most prolific women tennis player of India bringing laurels to the country at several championships.
(Source: Instagram)