Sania Mirza

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Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (35449409862).jpg2010–2012: Injury, struggles & doubles specialization

Sania Mirza at the 2010 US Open

Mirza began her year at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She won her first-round match
against Stefanie Vögele, but was crushed by fourth seed Francesca Schiavone in the
second round. Mirza then suffered two first-round losses at the Moorilla Hobart
International and the Australian Open. In February, Mirza competed in the Pattaya
Open as the sixth seed, but was upset by Tatjana Malek. She then played in the
Dubai Tennis Championships but suffered a first-round defeat to Anabel Medina
Garrigues. Mirza was forced to withdraw from the Sony Ericcson Open, the BNP
Paribas Open and the Family Circle Cup due to a right wrist injury. This injury
also caused her to pull out of the French Open.

She returned at the Aegon Classic, where she lost in the second round to Tamarine
Tanasugarn in three sets. Mirza then fell in the qualifying at Eastbourne and also
lost in the first round of Wimbledon; however, she did manage to finish runner-up
at the Aegon GB Pro-Series Wrexham. Her bad form continued, as she lost in the
second round of the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open and qualifying rounds of both the
Cincinnati Masters and the Rogers Cup. Mirza won her first round match against
Michelle Larcher de Brito at the US Open, but she went down against 20th seeded
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.

In September, Mirza competed in the Guangzhou International Open where she made her
first quarterfinal of the season. She then lost in the first round of the Tashkent
Open, the qualifying draw of the BGL Luxembourg Open, and the first round of the
OEC Taipei Ladies Open. In doubles, Mirza won in Guangzhou (with Edina Gallovits)
and finished as a runner-up in Taipei (with Hsieh Su-wei). In October, she
represented India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the second seed. She defeated
Brittany Teei (Cook Islands), Marina Erakovic (New Zealand), and Olivia Rogowska
(Australia) before losing to Australia's Anastasia Rodionova in the final. In
doubles, she partnered with fellow Indian, Rushmi Chakravarthi, losing in the
semifinals to Australians Anastasia Rodionova and Sally Peers. Mirza and
Chakravarthi compatriots Poojashree Venkatesha and Nirupama Sanjeev to win the
bronze medal.
Mirza in 2017
Country (sports) India
Residence Hyderabad, India
Born 15 November 1986 (age 33)[1]
Mumbai, India
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Turned pro February 2003
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
College St. Mary's College
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
Prize money US$ 6,945,795
Singles
Career record 271–161 (62.7%)
Career titles 1 WTA, 14 ITF
Highest ranking No. 27 (27 August 2007)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 3R (2005, 2008)
French Open 2R (2007, 2011)
Wimbledon 2R (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009)
US Open 4R (2005)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games 1R (2008)
Doubles
Career record 496–215 (69.8%)
Career titles 42 WTA, 4 ITF
Highest ranking No. 1 (13 April 2015)
Current ranking No. 253 (3 February 2020)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (2016)
French Open F (2011)
Wimbledon W (2015)
US Open W (2015)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals W (2014, 2015)
Olympic Games 2R (2008)
Mixed doubles
Career titles 3
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open W (2009)
French Open W (2012)
Wimbledon QF (2011, 2013, 2015)
US Open W (2014)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games SF (2016)
Last updated on: 7 February 2020.
Sania Mirza (Hindustani pronunciation: [ˈsaːnɪaː ˈmɪrzaː]; born 15 November 1986)
is an Indian professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in the doubles
discipline, she has won six Grand Slam titles in her career.[3][4] From 2003 until
her retirement from singles in 2013, she was ranked by the WTA as India's No. 1
player in both the categories. Throughout her career, Mirza has established herself
as by far the most successful Indian women's tennis player ever and one of the
highest-paid and most high-profile athletes in the country.[5][6]

In her singles career, Mirza had notable wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera
Zvonareva, and Marion Bartoli, as well as former world No. 1s Martina Hingis,
Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka. She is the highest-ranked female player ever
from India, peaking at world No. 27 in mid-2007. However, a major wrist injury
forced her to give up her singles career and focus on the doubles circuit. She has
achieved a number of firsts for women's tennis in her native country, including
surpassing $1 million in career earnings (in the end over $6.9 million), winning a
singles WTA title, and winning six major titles (three each in women's doubles and
in mixed doubles), as well as qualifying for (and eventually winning) the WTA
Finals in 2014 alongside Cara Black, defending the title the following year
partnering with Martina Hingis.[7]

In addition, she is the third Indian woman in the Open Era to feature and win a
round at a Grand Slam tournament, and the first to reach the second week. She has
also won a total of 14 medals (including 6 gold) at three major multi-sport events,
namely the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Afro-Asian Games.

Mirza was named one of the "50 Heroes of Asia" by Time in October 2005.[8] In March
2010, The Economic Times named Mirza in the list of the "33 women who made India
proud".[9] She was appointed as the UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia
during the event held to mark the International Day To End Violence Against Women
on 25 November 2013.[10] She was named in Time magazine's 2016 list of the 100 most
influential people in the world.[11]

Contents
1 Early life
2 Tennis career
2.1 2001–2003: Success on the Junior ITF circuit
2.2 2004–2005: Success in WTA Tour and Grand Slam tournaments
2.3 2006–2007: Top 30 breakthrough
2.4 2008–2009: Grand Slam mixed-doubles championship
2.5 2010–2012: Injury, struggles & doubles specialization
2.6 2013–2014: Top 5 doubles breakthrough
2.7 2015–2016: Rise to world No. 1 and women's doubles major titles
2.8 2017–2019: Split with Hingis, maternity leave
2.9 2020–present: Winning return
3 Playing style
4 Awards and recognition
5 Personal life
6 Social contribution
7 Controversies
8 Career statistics
9 Grand Slam finals
9.1 Women's doubles: 4 (3 titles, 1 runner–up)
9.2 Mixed doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner–ups)
9.3 Girls' doubles: 1 (1 title)
10 Autobiography
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Early life
Sania Mirza was born on 15 November 1986 in Mumbai to Hyderabadi Muslim parents
Imran Mirza, a sports journalist,[12] and his wife Naseema, who worked in a
printing business. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Hyderabad where she
and younger sister Anam were raised in a religious Sunni Muslim family. She is the
distant relative of former cricket captains Ghulam Ahmed of India, and Asif Iqbal
of Pakistan.[13] She took up tennis at the age of six. She has been coached by her
father and also Roger Anderson.

She attended Nasr School in Hyderabad. Sania in a recent interview credited her
school for giving her the freedom to pursue her dream. She called Nasr 'a home she
misses'. A prestigious girls day school, she recalled the faces of joy whenever she
walked into Nasr after a tournament, regardless of its result. This boosted her
morale and determination, she said. She later graduated from St. Mary's College.
Mirza also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the MGR
Educational and Research Institute University in Chennai on 11 December 2008.[14]
Apart from tennis, Mirza is particularly good at cricket and swimming.

Tennis career
2001–2003: Success on the Junior ITF circuit

2008–2009: Grand Slam mixed-doubles championship

Mirza reached the quarterfinals at Hobart as the No. 6 seed. She lost to Flavia
Pennetta in three sets. She reached the third round at the Australian Open as No.
31 seed, where she lost to No. 8 seed Venus Williams having been up a break in the
first set. She was runner-up in the Australian Open mixed doubles partnering Mahesh
Bhupathi, where they lost in straight sets to Sun Tiantian and Nenad Zimonjić.

She had to withdraw from the PTT Pattaya Open because of a left abductor strain.
She reached round four at Indian Wells as the No. 21 seed, defeating No. 9 seed
Shahar Pe'er en route, but lost to No. 5 seed Daniela Hantuchová. On Grass, Mirza
was crushed in the second round of Birmingham by Marina Erakovic. At 2008 Wimbledon
Championships, as the No. 32 seed, Mirza was defeated by qualifier María José
Martínez Sánchez in round two, having had several match points.
Mirza represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was eliminated
from singles when she retired in her match against Iveta Benešová because of a
right wrist injury. For doubles, she got a walkover through the first round with
Sunitha Rao, but lost in the second round to Russia. Throughout 2008, Mirza was
plagued by a slew of wrist injuries, requiring her to withdraw from several matches
including those of the French Open and US Open Grand Slams.

Mirza started her year by playing at the doubles event of the Moorilla Hobart
International. Partnering Francesca Schiavone, they reached the quarterfinals. At
2009 Australian Open, she won her first-round match against Marta Domachowska, but
she fell against 10th seed Nadia Petrova in round two. In doubles she lost in the
first round partnering Vania King. But in mixed doubles, Mirza picked up her first
Australian Open Grand Slam title. Partnering with Mahesh Bhupathi, she beat
Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram in the final.

She then entered the Pattaya Women's Open Tournament where she reached the finals
after a string of good performances. She lost the finals to Vera Zvonareva. She
made the semis in doubles in the same tournament. Mirza then competed in the BNP
Paribas Open where she lost in the second round to Flavia Pennetta. She then
participated in the Miami Masters and lost to Mathilde Johansson in the first
round. Mirza and her doubles partner Chuang Chia-jung made the semifinals of the
women's doubles. Mirza lost in the first round of the MPS Group Championships but
won the doubles title with Chuang. She also lost in the first round at French Open,
to Galina Voskoboeva. On grass, Mirza participated at the Aegon Classic and reached
the semifinals, losing to Magdaléna Rybáriková. At the Wimbledon Championships,
Mirza defeated Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the first round. She then fell to No. 28 seed
Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. She then lost in the second round of the
doubles (with Chuang) and mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi).

Next Mirza went to Lexington to compete in Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships,
where she won the title after a few good wins. Mirza's next two tournaments were in
Canada, where she had mixed results. She managed it all the way to the final at the
Odlum Brown Vancouver Open where she was beaten by Stéphanie Dubois. But at the
Rogers Cup, she fell to Heidi El Tabakh in the second qualifying round.
Sania Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003.
She was trained by her father. Mirza won 10 singles and 13 doubles titles as a
junior player. She won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title,
partnering Alisa Kleybanova. She also reached the semifinals of the 2003 US Open
Girls' Doubles, with Sanaa Bhambri, and the quarterfinals of the 2002 US Open
Girls' Doubles. On the senior circuit, Mirza started to show early success as she
made her debut in April 2001 on the ITF Circuit as a 15-year-old. Her highlights of
2001 include a quarterfinals showing in Pune and a semifinal finish in New Delhi.
As the 2002 season began, she turned around a season of early losses to winning
three straight titles; her first in her hometown Hyderabad and the other two in
Manila, Philippines.

In February 2003, Mirza was given a wild card to play in her first ever WTA
tournament, at the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, in her hometown. She lost the tough
first round encounter to Australia's Evie Dominikovic in three sets. The following
week, at the Qatar Ladies Open, she fell to Czech Olga Blahotová in the first
qualifying round. She had a good result representing India on the Fed Cup, winning
three straight matches. She helped India win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles
event of the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, partnering Leander Paes. In addition, Mirza
picked up four gold medals at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.

2004–2005: Success in WTA Tour and Grand Slam tournaments

At her hometown event, the 2004 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, Mirza was a wildcard
entrant. She put up a good fight against the fourth seed and eventual champion
Nicole Pratt in round one, but lost in three sets. She won her first WTA doubles
title at the same event, partnering Liezel Huber. She then received a wild card to
compete at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Casablanca, Morocco, but
suffered a first-round defeat to eventual champion Émilie Loit.

On the ITF Circuit, Mirza had a runner-up showing at the Palm Beach Gardens
Challenger, where she fell to Sesil Karatantcheva. Mirza won six ITF singles titles
in 2004. Going into the 2005 Australian Open, Mirza defeated Cindy Watson and Petra
Mandula in the first and second rounds, respectively, to reach the third round
where she was beaten in straight sets by eventual champion Serena Williams. In
February, Mirza became the first-ever Indian woman to win a WTA title, by winning
her hometown event, the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, defeating ninth-seeded Alona
Bondarenko in the final. At Dubai, she upset in round two 4th seed and reigning US
Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the biggest quarterfinal of her career.
In the second round of the Wimbledon Championships, she lost to Kuznetsova in a
tight three-setter.

In August, she reached the third round at the Acura Classic, falling to Morigami.
Mirza reached her second WTA final at the Forest Hills Tennis Classic, falling to
Lucie Šafářová. Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a
Grand Slam tournament at the US Open, defeating Mashona Washington, Maria Elena
Camerin and Marion Bartoli, before losing to top seed Maria Sharapova in the Round
of 16. At the Japan Open, Mirza reached the semifinals with wins over Vilmarie
Castellvi, Aiko Nakamura and Vera Zvonareva, before being overpowered by Tatiana
Golovin. Thanks to a successful 2005 season, Mirza was named the WTA Newcomer of
the Year.
2006–2007: Top 30 breakthrough
Mirza was seeded at the 2006 Australian Open (the first female Indian to be seeded
in a grand slam event), only falling to Michaëlla Krajicek. Next she fell to
Camille Pin at the Bangalore Open, but won the doubles title partnering Huber. She
played at the Dubai Tennis Championships but lost to Martina Hingis. At the Indian
Wells Masters, she reached the third round but lost to Elena Dementieva. She also
lost in the first round of the French Open Grand Slam to Anastasia Myskina.

Sania Mirza at 2006 US Open.

Her next tournament was the DFS Classic, where she defeated Alona Bondarenko and
Shenay Perry to reach the third round, where she was overpowered by Meilen Tu. She
also reached the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters and the third round of the
Acura Classic, falling to Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva, respectively. She
reached the second round of the US Open, losing to Francesca Schiavone. In
September, she reached the semifinals of the Sunfeast Open, losing to eventual
champion and top seed Martina Hingis. She also won the doubles title there
partnering Huber. Mirza made the quarterfinals of the Hansol Korea Open (defeating
top seed Hingis en route) and the Tashkent Open. In December, Mirza picked up three
medals at the Doha Asian Games—gold, in mixed doubles and silver in women's singles
and team.

In 2006, Mirza notched up three top-ten wins against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia
Petrova and Martina Hingis.[15]

Mirza started 2007 strongly, making it to the semifinals of Hobart, the second
round of the Australian Open, semifinals in Pattaya, and the quarterfinals in
Bangalore. At the French Open, Mirza lost the battle against Ana Ivanovic in the
second round. She also fell in the second round at the Wimbledon Championships to
Nadia Petrova. Mirza had the best results of her career during the 2007 summer
hardcourt season, finishing eighth in the 2007 US Open Series standings and
reaching her highest singles ranking of world No. 27.

She reached the quarterfinals in San Diego, the semifinals at Cincinnati, and made
it to the final at Stanford. She also won the doubles event in Cincinnati with
Shahar Pe'er. At the US Open, she reached the third round before losing to Anna
Chakvetadze for the third time in recent weeks. She fared much better in the
doubles, reaching the quarterfinals in mixed with her partner Mahesh Bhupathi and
the quarterfinals in the women's doubles with Bethanie Mattek, including a win over
number two seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur. She won four doubles titles in
2007.