Sania Mirza Bids Adieu To Tennis: Interesting And Lesser Known Facts About 'Queen Of Court'

Monday, March 6, 2023, 11:50

Women, especially the ones in sports are never intimidated by the obstacles in their path because they have the passion, and courage to build a bridge on it and cross it with ease. It is said that whenever you are passionate about something, everything else falls into place. And the best part is when people tell them 'you can't do it', they break all ceilings.

This woman changed the perception that India cannot produce tennis stars and with her sheer willpower and determination, she made an epic journey that will be remembered by all generations.

One of the most celebrated Tennis stars of India, Sania Mirza who played for this country for 20 years, finally bid goodbye to her long, illustrious career, on Sunday, 5 March 2023, at Lal Bahadur Tennis Stadium in Hyderabad where she played the final match of her career and bid goodbye to her career with moist eyes and happy heart.

It was 2 decades ago when this tennis star created history with the WTA single at this same stadium. The 36-year-old is 6 time Grand Slam winner and expressed gratitude for being able to play for this country. "I am so excited to play my last match in front of you all," she said at the beginning of the match.

The game was watched by Mohammad Azharuddhin, a former Indian cricket team captain and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. Rohan Bopanna, Yuvraj Singh, and her 'best friend' Bethanie Mettek Sands bid adieu to Mirza by playing in exhibition matches.
"These are very, very happy tears. I could not have asked for a better send-off," she said hoping that 'many, many Sanias' would emerge in the nation.

Interesting Facts About The Tennis Sensation of India and 'the Queen of Court', Sania Mirza.

Sania Mirza: Early Life And Childhood

Sania Mirza was born to a middle-class Muslim family in Hyderabad on 15 November 1986.
She held a tennis racquet for the first time at the age of six.
It was Imran Mirza, her father, who started her training at the age of 12. To support his daughter, Imran mirza risked his journalism career.
Her first coach was Krishna Bhupati, father of Tennis player Mahesh Bhupati and later she learnt the game from coach Roger Anderson.

Sania Mirza: Achievements And Awards
In her early career she began as a singles player but changed to doubles ones she found that she was more comfortable with the latter.
As a teenager, she won Wimbledon Junior Championship in 2003.
She is the first female to win the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) title in 2004. She was also recognised by WTA as the 'Best Newcomer of the Year' in 2005.
She is also the first Indian woman to win a Women's Doubles Grand Slam and she went on to win three of these with the same partner Martina Hingis.
In 2004, she received Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2015.
In 2009, she won her first grand slam with Mahesh Bhupati at the Australian Open.
She won titles at the Australian Open in 2009, French Open in 2012 and US Open in 2014.
One of the popular sports brands sponsored her training and she repaid the brand back by becoming one of its brand ambassadors.
She is the brand ambassador for the state of Telangana.
In 2015, Time Magazine mentioned her name in '50 Hearos of Asia'.
She is the first female tennis player to earn US $1 million in prize money.
She has also bagged 27 WTA and 4 ITF doubles titles and 1 WTA and 14 ITF singles titles.
She is the first woman to be appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.

Sania Mirza Fashion

Sania Mirza's dressing style is comfy and fancy.
The tennis star is not fond of loud colours and heavy makeup.
She prefers thick eyeliners and her hairdo is either open and straight or in a simple ponytail.
From v-neck tops, long open shrugs, and floral pantsuits to simple jeans and a white shirt, this tennis star can ace any look.
Soft glam makeup, high heels and stilettos are something she is really fond of and owns 350 pairs of shoes.
She never shies away from ethnic glam and is very fond of traditional Indian wear.
From nose piercing to sassy t-shirts that had slogans, she has made headlines and has served us with some bold fashion statements.

Sania Mirza Controversies

She married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010, which made headlines and was called Anti-Indian. Currently, the couple lives in Dubai.
Her son's surname is 'Mirza Mallik' which is quite unconventional and combines her and her husband's surnames.
Often she was criticised by some Muslim religious groups for the short tennis clothes that she wore during matches in her career.
When she was just 21 years old, an FIR was filed against her as it was believed that she had disrespected the National flag. The tennis star was seen at Hopman Cup in Pert, putting her feet towards the national flag kept on the tabletop.

Image source: Instagram/ Sania Mirza

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