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“I don’t play to prove a point. I play for my country and myself. If I feel I have the ability to achieve something, I’ll keep trying till I succeed”. When we think about sportspersons in Tennis, Sania Mirza is the first person that comes to mind! With a successful international career that began spanning two decades, Sania Mirza remains the face of Tennis in India. With innumerable grand titles, years of experience and skill, Sania Mirza is an inspiration for girls who aspire to follow their hearts and break gender stereotypes. As the Indian Tennis Superstar amps up for another win at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, let’s unravel the life journey of Sania Mirza and her success mantra!
Early Life of Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza was born on 15 November 1986 in Mumbai. She was born in a family of Muslim parents Imran Mirza, who was a sports journalist, and his wife Naseema, who worked in a business of prints in Hyderabad. She and her sibling Anam were raised in a religious Muslim family. She got into playing tennis when she was six years old. She was taught by her father along with Roger Anderson.
Must Read: Lessons We Can Learn from Sports
Astonishing Career from Junior ITF Circuit 2003 to Tokyo Olympics 2021
The year 2014 was just the beginning of a grand career for Sania Mirza. The tennis player got together with Cara Black from Zimbabwe and won the Portugal Open and WTA Tour Finals. This is part of a series of incredible wins by the tennis player, she paired up with Bruno Soares, from Brazil to claim the US Open Mixed Doubles title. At the Asian Games, she has also won gold with Saketh Myneni and bronze with Prarthana Thombare. Before the year was over, she played a very important role at the Indian Aces and won the International Premier Tennis League.
The year 2015 was another success story, Sania Mirza ranked sixth in the WTA doubles category, and won the Apia International with American Bethani Mattek-Sands, after beating Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta. Later on, Sania along with Hingis proved to be a successful pair as the duo won at Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, US Open, Wimbledon, Charleston, Miami, Indian Wells. In all, the pair won three Grand Slam titles, five WTA Premier titles and one WTA International title. Sania received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2015. Mirza began her 2016 campaign by winning the Australian Open with Hingis, their last Grand Slam together. The pair took up different ways after which Sania partnered with Barbora Strycova and claimed the WTA doubles number one ranking.
Did you know: She is also the first woman to be appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia!
Personal Life
On 12 April 2010, she married Cricketer Shoaib Malik in a traditional Hyderabadi Muslim wedding ceremony in Hyderabad, India followed by Pakistani wedding custom. Their reception ceremony was held in Sialkot, Pakistan. The couple announced their first pregnancy on social media in 2018. In October 2018, Shoaib Malik announced on Twitter that Mirza had delivered a baby boy and named him Izhaan Mirza Malik.
Did you know: She is the first Indian woman Tennis player to earn more than USD 1 million!
Awards and Recognition
Throughout her career, Sania Mirza won a lot of titles. Let us have a look at the various positions she has backed as a top lawn tennis player:
- Arjuna Award in 2004
- WTA NewComer of the Year in 2005
- Padma Shri in 2006
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2015
- Padma Bhushan in 2016
- Tournament Wins
- Grand Slams
Did you know: Sania Mirza became the third Indian after Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt to get the Dubai Golden Visa!
| S.No. | Position | Game | Detail |
| 1 | Winner | 2016 Australian Open | Doubles |
| 2 | Winner | 2015 US Open | Mixed Doubles |
| 3 | Winner | 2015 Wimbledon | Mixed Doubles |
| 4 | Winner | 2014 US Open | Mixed Doubles |
| 5 | Winner | 2012 French Open | Mixed Doubles |
| 6 | Winner | 2009 Australian Open | Mixed Doubles |
| Game | Details |
| 2016 Connecticut Open | Doubles title |
| 2016 Cincinnati Masters | Mixed Doubles title |
| 2016 Italian Open | Doubles title |
| 2015 Miami Open | Doubles title |
| 2015 Indian Wells | Doubles title |
| 2014 WTA Tour Finals | Doubles title |
Did you know: Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title. She achieved the feat when she clinched the 2005 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open!
That is all about the Indian Tennis Superstar- Sania Mirza. Sania Mirza’s hard work taught a generation to build a career in sports, fitness and to follow their dreams no matter what the obstacles. Mirza’s unparalleled success in the field has also inspired thousands of Indians to take up tennis as a sport and career in India. For more inspirational stories, Leverage Edu on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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