Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 7: Legendary Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has said that she will retire after the WTA 1000 competition in Dubai the following month. Six Grand Slam doubles titles have been won by the 36-year-old, who will play in her final major at the Australian Open beginning on January 16.
After damaging her tendon before the US Open, Mirza told the WTA Tour website that she would cease playing after the WTA Finals.
She claimed that she prefers to act independently and has been preparing so that she won’t be forced out of combat.
“I was going to stop right after the WTA Finals because we were going to make the WTA Finals, but I tore my tendon in my elbow right before US Open, so I had to pull out of everything,” said Mirza.
“Honestly, the person that I am, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don’t want to be forced out by injury. So, I’ve been training,” Mirza added.
The Indian players insisted that her priorities have changed and that she no longer has the emotional stamina to push herself. When Mirza won the Hyderabad tournament in 2005, she made history by being the first Indian woman to claim a WTA singles title. By 2007, she had broken into the top 30 and was ranked 27th in the world, which was a career-high.
At the Australian Open, which starts on January 16, Mirza will participate alongside Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan. Then, in Dubai, where she has been residing with her husband, former Pakistani batter Shoaib Malik, she would put an end to her illustrious career.
