New Delhi, January 27: Sania Mirza became all emotional while delivering her speech at the Australia Open mixed doubles final at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Back then, Sania came across the accident that made her make the biggest decision of her life. She announced the news of her retirement earlier this month, as she will end her professional career in tennis at the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) 1000 Dubai event in February. This means the 2023 Australian Open will be the final Grand Slam event of her life.
“I’m still going to play a couple more tournaments, but my career started in Melbourne,” she said, getting all teary-eyed, “in 2005, when I played Serena as an 18-year-old. I have had the privilege of coming back here again and again, winning tournaments here, and playing some great finals here,” said Sania in her speech at the Australia Open.
Today was the final of the Australia Open mixed doubles tournament in Melbourne, where Sania Mirza paired with Rohan Bopanna in this event against the Brazilian pair of Rafael Mataos and Luisa Stefani. However, they were unable to square the mixed double trophy for India.
For Sania, the Rod Laver Arena held a special place in her heart as she had won her life’s first grand slam trophy in the same arena when Mahesh Bhupati was the pairing partner. She even mentioned the arena in her speech, saying, “Rod Laver Arena has been really special in my life. I couldn’t think of a better arena to finish my last Grand Slam.”
Sania is on the way to bidding farewell to her professional career, but she was ranked India’s number one singles player in tennis by the WTA. She has won many medals in her career for mixed doubles and women’s doubles, as well as the prestigious awards Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in the years 2016, 2006, and 2015, respectively.