World no. 1 Iga Swiatek hails former doubles world No.1 Sania Mirza after her retirement
On Tuesday, Sania Mirza said an emotional goodbye to the game of Tennis. The 6-time Grand Slam winner retired after dedicating more than 30 years to the sport.
On Tuesday, Sania Mirza said an emotional goodbye to the game of Tennis. The 6-time Grand Slam winner retired after dedicating more than 30 years to the sport. Following her swansong, a flow of tributes started to come in and one of them was of current women's singles World No.1 Iga Swiatek.
Sania Mirza, who came in as a young sensation from India goes out as a legend. In her illustrious career, she achieved almost everything that was on offer. And while she might be a national hero, with the presence and impact she has created over the long haul she has brought in reactions from all corners of the tennis world. The biggest testament to this is when the current WTP Singles World No.1 Iga Swatek paid her respect to the legend.
Sania Mirza's statement
Earlier, in January Mirza took retirement from the Grand Slam tennis after playing the final of Aistralian Open final. At that juncture she said , “Thirty (yes, 30!) years ago a 6 year old girl from Nasr School in Hyderabad, walked on to a tennis court at Nizam Club with her young mom and fought the coach to let her learn how to play tennis as he thought that she was too little :). The fight for our dreams began at 6!” Sania wrote.
"With a lot of hope despite all the odds stacked against us, we dared to dream of playing in a Grand Slam some day and of representing our country with honour at the highest level in sport. As I look back at my career now, not only did I get to play well over half a century of Grand Slam tournaments but I was fortunate enough to win a bunch of them, too, with God's grace. To win medals for my country has been my biggest honour and I feel truly humbled to have been able to stand up on the podium. knowing that the tri color had been raised high to be seen and respected by millions all over the world all because of something that I was privileged enough to achieve have tears in my eyes and goosebumps even as I type this.
"None of this would have been possible without the support of my parents and sister, my family, my coaches, my physios, my trainers, my fans, my supporters, my partners and my entire team that has stood by me through thick and thin over the years. I want to thank each one of them for the contribution, the laughs, the tears, the pain and the joy we have shared. It's all of you, who have helped me through the toughest phases of my life and helped this little girl from Hyderabad to not only dare to dream but to achieve those dreams, as well. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“I feel so blessed to have lived my dream while achieving my goals with my family by my side. It's been 20 years of being a professional athlete and 30 years of being a tennis player. It's basically all I've known throughout my life,” she wrote. Further in her statement, she wrote that Australian Open would be the “perfect” Grand Slam tournament to end her career, as it was where she had begun her career in 2005. “My Grand Slam journey started with the Australian Open back in 2005. So it goes without saying that this would be the most perfect Grand Slam to end my career with,” wrote Sania.
"As I get ready to play my last Australian Open 18 years after I played my first, and then the Dubai Open in Feb, I have so many emotions flashing through me with pride and gratitude, perhaps, being the foremost. I take pride in everything I have been able to achieve over the last 20 years of my professional career and I am so grateful for the memories that I have been able to create. The greatest memory that I will carry with me for a life time is that of the pride and happiness that I saw on the faces of my fellow countrymen and supporters each time I achieved victory and reached milestones in my long career."
