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| Human Interest | |
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General Interest | |
| Other information | RETIREMENT In February 2023 she retired from professional tennis after a first round defeat at the Dubai Open with doubles partner Madison Keys. After 20 years on tour she made the decision in early January 2023 before she had reached her last final in a Grand Slam, a mixed doubles event at the Australian Open, which she lost with Indian mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna. "I have been a professional athlete for 20 years. It's taking a lot out of me emotionally, mentally and physically to stay at this level. I don't have the will to push all the way to maintain it. At the age of 36, I want other things in life. It's time to move on." (aljazeera.com, 25 Feb 2023; dnaindia.com, 29 Jan 2023) BEIJING DISAPPOINTMENT She has revealed that she struggled with depression and considered quitting the sport after being forced to retire in the first round of the singles event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing due to injury. "That day - when I had to pull out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a bad wrist injury - I went into depression for three to four months. I remember crying for no reason. I mean, I used to be absolutely fine and then I would just burst into tears. I remember not coming out of my room to even eat a meal for over a month. I felt I will never be able to play tennis again. I am a bit of a control freak, so for me not being able to do something not on my terms was very difficult to digest." (thequint.com, 11 May 2021) ACADEMY In 2013 she founded the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy with the aim of providing world-class tennis training to Indian players. (saniamirzatennisacademy.com, 31 Dec 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Husband Shoaib Malik, son Izhaan [2018] |
General Interest | |
| Milestones | In 2015 she became the first Indian tennis player to win a women's doubles Grand Slam title when she was victorious at Wimbledon with partner Martina Hingis. (wtatennis.com, 01 Jan 2019) In April 2015 she became the first female Indian tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in either singles or doubles, when she climbed to No.1 in women's doubles following her victory alongside Martina Hingis at the 2015 Charleston Open in South Carolina, United States of America. (wtatennis.com, 01 Jan 2021) In 2005 she became the first Indian tennis player to win a WTA Tour singles title with victory at the Hyderabad Open in India. (wtatennis.com, 01 Jan 2019) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Play a sport if you love it and have a passion for it - never for fame or for money." (parentcircle.com, 25 May 2021) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Media and Communications - Osmania University: Hyderabad, IND |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She sustained a calf injury at the 2020 Australian Open. (india.com, 22 Feb 2020) She suffered a knee injury in October 2017. (indiatimes.com, 14 Feb 2018) In 2011 she had an injury that kept her out of competition after the US Open. She had to undergo knee surgery for a third time. (dnaindia.com, 07 Jul 2014; nz.sports.yahoo.com, 17 Jan 2012) She was forced to miss significant time on the court between 2008 and 2010, including retiring in the first round of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, due to a recurring right wrist injury. (nz.sports.yahoo.com, 17 Jan 2012; WTA, 02 Jul 2009) She had surgery in March 2007 for a knee injury that kept her out of action for a month. (WTA, 28 Sep 2007) |
| Famous relatives | Her husband Shoaib Malik has captained the Pakistan cricket team. (indianexpress.com, 05 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | Her main sport as a child was swimming, but her mother began taking her to local tennis courts on the way to swim lessons. She enjoyed herself, so her parents thought she might like to give the sport a try and signed her up for lessons. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi, German tennis player Steffi Graf, Swiss tennis player Martina Hingis. (wtatennis.com, 30 May 2016; indianexpress.com, 13 Apr 2015) |
| Awards and honours | She received the 2020 Fed Cup Heart Award. (hindustantimes.com, 11 May 2020) She was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna [India's highest sporting honour] in 2015 and the Padma Bhushan [the third-highest civilian award in India] in 2016. (olympics.com, 18 Jun 2020) She was named Times of India [TOI] Sportsperson of the Year in 2015. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 31 Dec 2015) In January 2006 she was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award. (Indian Ministry of Sports, 04 Jun 2006) She was named Newcomer of the Year of 2005 by the Women's Tennis Association [WTA]. (WTA, 04 Jun 2006) In 2004 she received an Arjuna Award in India. (Indian Ministry of Sports, 04 Jun 2006) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Handedness | Right |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began playing tennis at age six. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | Hindi, Urdu, English |