Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 22: Sania Mirza played her final match as a professional tennis player on Tuesday at the WTA Dubai Duty Free Championships, closing a wonderful chapter and an amazing career in Indian sport.
Sania, one of the finest tennis players to ever come out of India, ended her illustrious career with a first-round loss in Dubai on Tuesday, falling to American partner Madison Keys in straight sets. In precisely one hour, Sania and Keys were defeated by the tough Russian duo of Vernokia Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova, 4-6, 0-6. Veronika, 25, is rated fifth in the doubles world rankings and eleventh in singles, while Liudmila is placed thirteenth in doubles.
Exactly one month prior, Sania competed in her last Grand Slam and finished as runner-up with fellow countryman Rohan Bopanna at the Australian Open.
In her final tournament of her career, where she won 43 WTA doubles titles and one singles trophy, Sania would have hoped for a dream ending in her second home, but she ran into a powerful Russian partnership and had to leave early.
Sania’s nearly two-decade career was not all about success; unjustified issues followed her around the entire time.
She occasionally carried on, unmoved, and accomplished numerous firsts. She occasionally had such financial hardship that she thought about skipping India.
It was when she was accused of disrespecting the tricolour during the 2008 Hopman Cup in Australia, and she had to defend her love and loyalty for India.
