In a latest interview, former doubles World No. 1 Sania Mirza confirmed her plans to retire on the WTA 1000 occasion in Dubai subsequent month. Mirza had initially deliberate to hold up her racquet after finishing the 2022 season however after harm issues sidelined her within the second half of the 12 months, she determined to delay the choice.
The 36-year-old can be taking part in in girls’s doubles on the Australian Open this month alongside Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina, which can be her remaining look at a Grand Slam occasion after she missed the US Open final 12 months attributable to an elbow harm.
Different health points have additionally plagued her within the latest previous – together with a persistent calf downside – however she is adamant to have the ability to say goodbye to the sport on a match courtroom. “Actually, the person who I’m, I love to do issues by myself phrases. So I don’t wish to be pressured out by harm. So I’ve been coaching,” she informed wtatennis.com.
Her father, Imran, had informed this newspaper final 12 months, after her remaining look at Wimbledon the place she narrowly missed out on the combined doubles remaining, that bowing out on the WTA Finals – competing with the world’s greatest – was a becoming option to finish her profession. Accidents, nevertheless, derailed that plan.
Mirza was one of many shining lights of Indian tennis in a era that didn’t see a lot success outdoors of the doubles circuit. Earlier than occurring to win six Grand Slams and turning into a World No. 1 doubles participant, she had a outstanding singles profession too, reaching a career-high rating of World No. 27. She stays the final Indian to achieve the second week of a Main, making it to the fourth spherical of the 2005 US Open.
At 36, having sustained a number of critical harm issues, Mirza’s priorities have modified. “I actually don’t have the capability in my thoughts to emotionally push that a lot anymore. I turned professional in 2003,” she was quoted as saying by the WTA. “Priorities change, and now my precedence is to not push my physique to the restrict each single day.”
Put up-retirement, Mirza plans to concentrate on her academies in Dubai, town of her residence for greater than a decade, along with the one she began in Hyderabad. “For me it’s essential to share my expertise within the locations that I stay in, that’s why I’ve one in Hyderabad and one in Dubai,” she stated.
Her final skilled occasion, the Dubai Tennis Championships, will kick off on February 19.
