Sania Mirza to retire from tennis after Dubai WTA 1000 event in February

The 36-year-old will make her final Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open.

Sania Mirza will retire from tennis after the WTA 1000 Dubai Masters in February. The Indian star confirmed it in an interview with the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association). Mirza earlier was to retire after the end of the 2022 season. However, an elbow injury in the latter stages of 2022 kept her out for months. She eventually missed the US Open and also the WTA 250 Chennai Open (South Asia’s only WTA tour event).

She is currently preparing for the Australian Open where she will partner with Anna Danilina and Rohan Bopanna in the women’s and mixed doubles events respectively.

The 36-year-old turned pro in 2003 with a career lasting for two decades. The Hyderabadi started her initial years playing in the singles section with the best result (getting to round 4 of the 2005 US Open). She also became the first female Indian to be seeded at a grand slam, which was indeed a great achievement at a young age.

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis shared a great camaraderie. They were the world No. 1 in the women’s doubles circuit for a brief time.

Mirza took maternity leave for two years (2018-2020) and made a strong comeback post her recovery. She partnered alongside Ankita Raina at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but lost in the first round to a Ukrainian pair. She and Rohan Bopanna finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics, which was her best finish at the Olympic Games.

The Indian star had an eventful 2022 season getting back to the top 25 in the WTA doubles rankings. She was awarded the Padma Shri (India’s fourth-highest civilian award) in 2006 and Padma Bhushan (India's third-highest civilian award) in 2016. 

Awards

• WTA Newcomer of the year (2005)
• Arjuna Award (2004)
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2015)