Sania Mirza, India’s most successful female tennis player, announced that 2022 would be her final season after her first-round loss in women’s doubles at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
“I have decided this will be my last season. I am taking it week by week, not sure if I can last the season, but I want to,” Mirza 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’m putting my three-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,” Sania told broadcasters after the match at Melbourne Park.
The 35-year-old is a former world No. 1 in doubles and had a career-best ranking of 27 in singles. She is currently ranked 68th in the world. In her successful career, she was the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam, has won Majors in doubles along with medals at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
Mirza is now set to play her last mixed doubles with her fellow Grand Slam champion Rajeev Ram of the USA.
