SANIA, YET SO FAR
ON AN EMOTIONAL LAST SEASON OF HER SHINING CAREER, SANIA MIRZA PLANS TO BID GOODBYE TO TENNIS IN A BLAZE OF GLORY AS SHE PLAYS SOME SHOTS DOWN THE LINE WITH AA
After 1,894 matches of stinging forehands, blistering backhands and deft volleys — both on and off the court — tennis ace Sania Mirza has decided to hang up her racquet. The Hyderabadi has said that the current season will be her last on the circuit. The spirit is more than willing but at 35 the flesh is sort of weak.
“I do feel my recovery is taking longer, my body is wearing down,” she said while announcing her decision on January 19 after winning 44 titles including six Grand Slams in over two decades of hard grind across the globe.
That drove droves of her die-hard fans to breakpoint, with many hoping Sania will pull through like she has in so many of her jaw-dropping matches. “Maybe I shouldn’t have made that announcement because I was feeling so sad that everybody is feeling bad and constantly asking me about it,” she rues while speaking to Deccan Chronicle from Dubai. “I mean honestly I am still in it to play the entire year and am looking forward to it. I am sure I would like to end the season on a high, which would be the best way to retire.”
“I am going to take 2022 like any other year where I am competing to win every tournament I play. But it’s going to be a little bit special and emotional because these are the places that I am not gonna be able to visit again as a tennis player,” she says, adding a rider “as of now that’s what it seems like.”
There are several highlights in her distinguished career but the ones she cherishes the most are “being No.1 (in doubles — April 2015) in the world and being world No.27 in singles (in August 2007) considering it’s not been done by anybody (Indian) in over 30 years. Winning the Grand Slams and eight medals at Asian Games are some of the highs that are unparalleled.”
Conversely, “the lowest point was probably when I had to retire from the Olympics in 2008 with a wrist injury — that’s the lowest I have felt in terms of physically not being able to play and cope.”
But these have been temporary setbacks for the driven athlete who has simply believed she could fly, and propelled herself to greater heights. “I think belief takes you places. I have the support of my family. They believed in me and I believed in myself. No matter how many odds were stacked against us, we always believed we could achieve our goals and here we are 21 years later having achieved everything if not more,” she smiles, adding, “My family is a constant in my life, they have been around all the time... have supported and backed my decisions no matter what so I am forever grateful to them. I couldn’t have achieved anything without them.”
Her constant companion on the circuit these days is her three-year-old son Izhaan, who has an early introduction to top level tennis. Is Mama’s Boy a future Slam champ or will he follow Dad Shoaib Malik into the cricket field? Sania is in splits. “Funnily enough, I don’t want him to play tennis and Shoaib doesn’t want him to play cricket... so I am not really sure what he’s going to be doing,” she bursts out.
With an Academy of her own, coaching surely is on Sania’s mind post retirement. How difficult will it be to groom the next Sania Mirza? “The Academy is definitely something that I will have more time for, I am looking forward to that. Hopefully, we will have the answer to ‘Who after Sania?’ soon enough,” she says gamely. It’s advantage Sania.
“I AM GOING TO TAKE 2022 LIKE ANY OTHER YEAR WHERE I AM COMPETING TO WIN EVERY TOURNAMENT I PLAY. BUT IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT SPECIAL AND EMOTIONAL BECAUSE THESE ARE THE PLACES THAT I AM NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO VISIT AGAIN AS A TENNIS PLAYER”
IS MAMA’S BOY IZHAAN A FUTURE SLAM CHAMP OR WILL HE FOLLOW DAD SHOAIB MALIK INTO THE CRICKET FIELD? “FUNNILY ENOUGH, I DON’T WANT HIM TO PLAY TENNIS AND SHOAIB DOESN’T WANT HIM TO PLAY CRICKET... SO I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HE’S GOING TO BE DOING”