About

Early Life

Sania Mirza was born in Mumbai and grew up in Hyderabad, where she began playing tennis at the age of six. Trained initially by her father due to the high costs of coaching and equipment, Sania’s talent was evident from a very young age. Her first major breakthrough came in 2002 when she won a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the Asian Games, partnering Leander Paes.

Career

Sania Mirza turned professional in 2003 and quickly made history for Indian tennis. In 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title and also the first to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam at the US Open.

Her real dominance came in doubles. Over her career, she won 43 WTA doubles titles, a singles title, and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 27 in singles and World No. 1 in doubles.

Her partnership with Martina Hingis between 2015–16 was especially successful, producing three Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015, Australian Open 2016) and a record 41-match winning streak. She also won Grand Slam mixed doubles titles with Mahesh Bhupathi and Bruno Soares.

Sania represented India at four Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020). At Rio 2016, she and Rohan Bopanna came close to winning a bronze in mixed doubles but narrowly missed out.

After a maternity break, she returned in 2020 with a title at the Hobart International and later guided India to their first-ever Fed Cup playoffs. Her final professional tournament was the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2023, shortly after reaching the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open.

Personal Life

In 2010, Sania Mirza married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. The couple welcomed their son, Izhaan Mirza Malik, in 2018. Balancing motherhood and her professional career, Sania became a role model for women across the world. Speaking about her comeback after maternity leave, she emphasized that women need not give up on their dreams after becoming mothers.

Legacy

Widely regarded as India’s greatest female tennis player, Sania Mirza has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. Her achievements have not only elevated Indian tennis on the global stage but also inspired generations of young athletes to believe in themselves.