Dubai: India’s Sania Mirza feels she has years ahead of her in the quest to achieve career Grand Slams in both doubles and mixed doubles tennis.
The 30-year-old from Hyderabad is one short in each format, with only the French Open left to win in doubles, and Wimbledon in the mixed.
Only 21 players have won doubles career Grand Slams, while 17 have claimed the mixed doubles collection.
“People have asked me: ‘when are you going to retire’ for the last five years because they thought after getting married I’d have kids, because they feel that’s what should happen when you get married,” said Mirza, who married Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010.
“I do think about it sometimes, I won’t lie. But it’s not so much because of starting a family, it’s more because of my body, and the effects of playing and travelling as much as we do.
“But I still feel I have a few more years left in me and I do enjoy it and I love the feeling of winning and competing,” she said on the sidelines of this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“I’ve had a good career and I feel honoured to have been in the World No. 1 position for almost two years [91 consecutive weeks], and having won six Grand Slams.
“When the French Open comes, surely that will be a goal to try and win another slam and if it happens: a career slam. But that’s not something I can really focus on. Sure, if it does happen for me, to win at Wimbledon in the mixed and the French at doubles then it would be amazing. But if it doesn’t, I won’t kill myself.”
Asked if completing career slams would help cement her legacy even further, she replied: “We don’t really play thinking of legacies or records, that’s not something I do, at least. I’ve always played because I love playing tennis, I love competing and you just try to win because it’s a good feeling.
“Having said that, I hope already in the last 13 years that I’ve been playing there have been some kids who have tried to pick up tennis rackets because of me and that to me is very important, as far as legacy goes though I don’t exactly know what that even means to be very honest.
“But I do hope that tomorrow, when I do retire, there’s a lot more than just one Indian woman playing on this WTA Tour, and competing for titles like I have been doing for so many years now.”
Bold, outspoken
Sania Mirza on similarities between her an India cricket captain Virat Kohli:
"He's got such a personality and he's not afraid to show it and I think that’s incredible. I've met him a few times and I know him a little bit and he's such a normal guy.
"When you go and have dinner in a bunch of five people you would never think, but I think that’s the amazing part of champions that when you step on the court, they want to win and need to believe they are better than anyone else and that’s how you become champions.
