'I've decided this will be my final season' - Sania Mirza after Australian Open loss

Sania Mirza has been a former World No. 1 in doubles and brought incredible laurels to the country due to her exploits on the tennis circuit.

Sania Mirza in a file photo, Image credit: Twitter/Sania Mirza
By Amruth Kalidas | Jan 19, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

In a surprise development, 6-time Grand Slam champion and poster girl of Indian tennis, Sania Mirza announced she has decided that 2022 will be her last season on the professional tennis tour. Mirza, who is married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and is the mother to the couple’s son, Izhaan Malik Mirza, mentioned this after losing her first-round women’s doubles match at the Australian Open 2022.

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Bunch of reasons for retiring – Sania Mirza

Deciding to hang up the racquet after having spent nearly two decades on the professional tennis tour, Sania Mirza has been a former World No. 1 in doubles and brought incredible laurels to the country due to her exploits on the tennis circuit. An inspiration to many women, Sania Mirza has always led by example and she made a rousing comeback to the sport even after motherhood.

“There’s a bunch 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 do feel, considering my son is three years old, I’m putting him at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account. Unfortunately, the pandemic is making us take certain decision for the well-being of ourself and family” Mirza said at the post-match press conference.

“Also, 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 said. Sania, who became world number one in doubles during her successful partnership with Swiss legend Martina Hingis, said there were certain issues that influenced her decision.

Calling curtains to an incredible career, 2022 will be seeing the last of Sania Mirza whip out those classy forehands after the star tennis player made this decision. Mirza, who started the year on a decent note with a semi-final run at the Adelaide International, will be looking to end her well-decorated career on a strong note and hopes that she can last out the entire season.

While her campaign in the women’s doubles may have come to an end after the pair of Mirza and Nadiia Kichenok lost to Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek in straight sets, Mirza did show signs of greatness at the net still. Mirza will be pairing up with America’s Rajeev Ram for the Mixed Doubles event at the calendar year’s first Grand Slam as well.





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