Sania Mirza, an Indian tennis player, has declared her retirement from the sport after the current season. Mirza made the declaration after she and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok lost in the first round of the Australian Open's women's doubles event on Wednesday.
“I’ve decided this will be my last season. I’m taking it week by week, not sure if I can last the season, but I want to," in a post-match conference, Sania said.
Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek beat Mirza and Kichenok 6-4, 7-6 in the first round to advance in the Grand Slam.
Mirza made her senior debut in 2003 and now holds the record for being India's highest-ranked female singles player (no.27). She retired from singles in 2013 after winning noteworthy matches over Martina Hingis, Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Dinara Safina, among others, throughout the course of her 10-year career.
While injuries cut short Mirza's singles career, she specialized in doubles and won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015, as well as the Australian Open in 2016. She also has three Grand Slam victories in mixed doubles, making her one of Indian tennis' most accomplished players.
During the press conference, Mirza also reaffirmed her plan to retire, "There's a few 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'm putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that's something I have to take into account. I think 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."
Mirza, a former world number one in doubles, is one of just two Indian women's tennis players to win a WTA title.
"Having said that, I still want to play the season because I'm enjoying it enough to play the year. I've worked very hard to come back, get fit, lose the weight and try to set a good example for mothers, new mothers to follow their dreams as much as they can. Beyond this season, I don't feel my body doing it," she further added.
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