Indian tennis champion Sania Mirza has often dealt with issues and controversies when in the public eye, but has always managed to keep a strong front despite it all. Regardless of the controversies surrounding her, Mirza is best known to have risen through the ranks in her sport with dedication and determination. This week, the the 35-year-old, regarded as her country's greatest women's tennis player, bowed out of the Australian Open in the first round with her partner Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine.
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Retirement: The former Wimbledon doubles champion said she will retire from tennis at the end of this season with injuries taking their toll. "I have decided this will be my last season. I'm taking it week by week, not sure if I can last the season, but I want to," she told press in Melbourne. Mirza admitted that injuries and a young family is drawing a curtain on her career. In her exceptional career as a tennis player, Mirza has won six Grand Slams and has reached the summit of the WTA doubles ranking. Mirza is the first Indian to break into the top 30 in the WTA singles ranking.
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No stranger to controversies and trolls: Sania Mirza has been at the centre of many controversies and debates. At one point she was criticised for wearing skirts while playing at tennis matches. Another time, she was trolled for allegedly visiting a shisha bar with her husband, cricketer Shoaib Malik and her child. Once, she faced flak after a picture showed her at a tennis match with her feet placed on a table near the Indian flag.
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Starting her career: Mirza began playing tennis during her summer vacations as a youngster, but she became serious about it after winning adult events. She won her first senior championship at the 2002 Asian Games when she was 15 years old. In 2003, she won her first Grand Slam women's doubles trophy at Wimbledon alongside Russian Alisa Kleybanova.
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Highest ranked Indian women’s player: Mirza created history when she became the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam championship. She has been the highest ranked Indian women's player since then, until 2013. Mirza became the first woman to win the Women's Tennis Association title in 2004 after winning the Grand Slam. She received the Arjuna Award the next year. The Women's Tennis Association awarded her the 'Best Newcomer Of The Year' title in 2005.
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‘Santina’: In April 2015, Mirza became the first Indian woman to win the Women's Doubles Grand Slam. It was in that year that she teamed up with Martina Hingis. Mirza and Hingis were regarded as one of the best women's doubles teams of all time. They were dubbed 'Santina' by the public. They won 14 trophies together, including three Grand Slam wins in a row. In 2015, Santina won Wimbledon and the US Open, then in February 2016, Mirza won her third Grand Slam. However, 16 months later, in July 2016, the two ended their collaboration.
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Marriage: Mirza's life outside of tennis drew a lot of interest, notably her marriage to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik. The Indian tennis ace Mirza and former Pakistan cricket team skipper Shoaib Mailk made for a perfect sports power couple, and celebrated 10 years of marriage this year. The couple went on to have a child, after which Mirza returned to tennis after a two-year maternity leave.
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The reasons for stepping out: "There's 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'm putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that's something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I'm not saying that's the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I'm getting older. Also for me to find that motivation everyday 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."
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An inspiration for girls around the world: Mirza has been touted as an inspiration for many young girls taking up tennis as a sport, and for women and mothers around the world. In her statement earlier this week, she said, "Having said that, I still want to play the season because I'm enjoying it enough to play the year. I've worked very hard to come back, get fit, lose the weight and try to set a good example for mothers, new mothers to follow their dreams as much as they can. Beyond this season, I don't feel my body doing it. It's beat," Mirza added.
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Ace tennis champion has always been an advocate of making your own life choices and calling the shots. During several interactions with Gulf News, she has spoken about how it isn’t easy to balance motherhood and a thriving sporting career. But she pulled it off in her inimitable style by displaying a stoic and solid exterior. Here’s a look at her life and times.
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