Sania Mirza Announces Retirement Plans, 2022 to be her Last Season
New Delhi: Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza announced her plan to retire after losing round one of the Women’s doubles in the Australia Open 2022 at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. She said that 2022 to be her final season of the WTA Tour.
The 35-year-old Mirza and her Ukrainian Partner Nadiia Kichenok lost two straight sets to Slovenian pair Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek with 4-6, 6-7 points in a match that lasted one hour and 36 minutes.
Sania addressed her plan and said, “There are a few 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 am putting my three-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, and that’s something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today. I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost, but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I am getting older.”
“Also, it is difficult to find that motivation every day to come out. The energy is not the same anymore. There are more days than there used to be where I don’t feel like doing that. I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process which I’m not sure I’m enjoying as much anymore,” she added.
Sania has had irregular participation in the WTA Tour for the last few years. She postponed the tour in 2018 due to a maternity break, followed by the pandemic after her comeback in 2020. Sania’s latest achievement was her 43rd Doubles Trophy with Shuai Zhang at the Ostrava Open in September 2021.
Talking about the injury, Sania said, “I have a bit of a meniscus issue going on my right knee. I woke up with wrist pain a couple of days ago. At 35, I am waking up with a couple of things that I don’t know where they’re coming from! I want to finish the season, to at least play until the US Open-that is my goal. But I still have to take it week-to-week.”
About her upcoming mixed doubles with fellow Grand Slam champion Rajeev Ram of the USA, she said, “If this is my last Grand Slam, it is a great way to go out to play with someone whom I have known since I was 12 years old and we’ll just try to have fun on the court.”
Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title. She won her last Slam title at Australia Open 2016 with Martina Hingis. She has also won medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. The former World Doubles No.1 currently ranks 68th in the world.
(Avya Mathur)
