Sania Mirza, 36, departs the Grand Slam stage where she belongs—in the final. Sania is a trendsetter on the court and a champion of shattering stereotypes off it.
Sania Mirza struggled to hold back her tears as she delivered her final speech at the Rod Laver Arena. She reached the final of her final Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and she did so with her customary assurance and modesty. If I weep, they will be joyful tears, not sad ones, she said.
She and her countryman Rohan Bopanna were beaten 6-7 (2), 2-6 by Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos of Brazil in the championship match in Melbourne. She was unable to take the trophy, but the stage—one of tennis’ most recognisable courts—was a perfect place for her departure.
The Grand Slam’s final rounds are where Sania belongs. With six championships, she is one of India’s most successful players at this point in its history. She had won the Australian Open twice, once in mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009 and once in women’s doubles with Martina Hingis in 2016—her final Major triumph.
The 36-year-ground-breaking old’s accomplishments as a young woman on the singles circuit will always be what define her career, despite all the amazing highs she witnessed in her career on the doubles tour.
The most memorable moment of the six-time Grand Slam doubles champion’s career was actually a 1-6, 4-6 loss in the third round at Melbourne Park in 2005, when an 18-year-old Sania faced up against the greatest rival in the sport, she revealed following her semifinal victory on Wednesday.
She added following her semifinal victory on Wednesday, “For me, the most meaningful memory remains playing against Serena (Williams) here when I was 18 years old, even though I lost the match, got blasted off the court.
“Honestly, it is when the notion that this is where I belong and where I want to be was planted there. Even though Serena won the competition that year, it let me think that my desire as a young Indian girl to compete in the slams and attempt to win them came true for me in 2005.
And 2005 would turn out to be a turning point for her. In Hyderabad, she went on to win her maiden WTA championship, making it the only ATP or WTA singles title ever won by an Indian. Later that year, at the US Open, the 19-year-old would go on to make further history, becoming the first Indian woman to compete in the second round of a Grand Slam and losing in the fourth round. Ramesh Krishnan in 1987 had previously achieved the longest run by an Indian at a Major singles tournament.
And 2005 would turn out to be a turning point for her. In Hyderabad, she went on to win her maiden WTA championship, making it the only ATP or WTA singles title ever won by an Indian. Later that year, at the US Open, the 19-year-old would go on to make further history, becoming the first Indian woman to compete in the second round of a Grand Slam and losing in the fourth round. Ramesh Krishnan in 1987 had previously achieved the longest run by an Indian at a Major singles tournament.
Sania was India’s top singles player for ten years before switching to just playing doubles; she achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 27 in 2007.
The 91 weeks she spent as the World No. 1 doubles player, the 43 doubles championships she won on the circuit, and the legendary, thundering forehand that left many opponents in its wake would not be the whole of her influence. Sania was the shining example of women’s sport in the twenty-first century, long before names like Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, and Saina Nehwal would become well-known internationally.
Sania faced criticism that most people would not have to since she is a young Muslim lady competing in a commercial sport that is aired across the world. She has had to deal with a variety of criticism. To conform to traditional gender norms, her appearance and clothing choices were constantly scrutinised in court. She was once absurdly accused of disrespecting the national flag, her patriotism was called into question because she married a Pakistani cricket player, and she was asked when she planned to settle down and have a family.
Sania’s pathbreaking journey, which she had already started by the time she was a teenager, was never conventional, and true to style, she responded to the criticism with the same brash confidence with which she has faced so many rivals on the court.
She was aware of the power her platform provided her (Sania has 10.9 million Instagram followers, compared to Naomi Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete in the world, who has 2.7 million). She spoke out against misconceptions Indian women must overcome in order to succeed in professional athletics, as well as against domestic abuse, gender wage inequalities, and female foeticide.
She proudly told the Straits Times before the final in Melbourne that “there are parents who have came and said, ‘Oh, you know that my little girl wants to do something out of the box and we want her to be like you’.”
Despite all odds, Sania returned to professional tennis after giving birth to her son Izhaan, who is now four years old and has joined her in Melbourne. Sania even made it to the Wimbledon semifinals the previous year.
She planned to hang up her racquet in 2022, thus the mixed doubles semifinal at SW19 was to be her final Major performance. However, an injury prevented her from retiring on her terms, forcing her to compete until the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai the following month, which will be her final tournament.
Sania had one last opportunity for success as a result of her decision, which was typical of her desire to carve her own path rather than accept the situation she finds herself in. Just like she had done so many times before, she fired the shot.
