India’s all-time greatest female player Sania Mirza is set to retire from tennis after her first defeat at the Australian Open women’s doubles first round with partner Nadiia Kichenok. The player announced that 2022 is the last year of her professional career. Mirza, 35, had returned to tennis after giving birth to her son in March 2019 but her progress was later dissatisfied by the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are a bunch of 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 do feel, considering my son is three years old, I’m putting him at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account,” Mirza said at the post-match press conference.
“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,” she said.
After a brief stint on the court, Sania returned to the court in 2022. She has won the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. She is currently ranked 68th in singles. The country has honored her with the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards.