Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza has revealed her retirement plans. The former doubles No.1 has confirmed that she will not play professional tennis after taking part in the Dubai Tennis Championships, a WTA 1000 event, which begins on February 19. The 36-year-old Mirza initially intended to hang up her racquet at the end of last season, but an elbow injury ruled her out of the US Open and forced her to end 2022 as early as August.
A six-time major champion -- three in doubles and three in mixed doubles -- Mirza has signed up to compete in this month's Australian Open alongside Kazakhstan's Anna Danilina. The India tennis star who has been living in Dubai for more than a decade will then look to bid farewell to the sport in the Emirates, where she has competed for many years in front of her massive fanbase.
Mirza has been dealing with a lingering calf problem but is hoping it won't stop her from saying her goodbyes on the match court. "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 the US Open so I had to pull out of everything," Sania told wtatennis.com.
"And 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. The plan is to try and retire in Dubai during the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships," she added.
In a recent interview with "Curly Tales Middle East," Sania explained why she believed now was the right time.
"I'm 36, and honestly my body is beat, that is the main reason for it. And I really don't have the capacity in my mind to emotionally push that much anymore. I turned pro in 2003. Priorities change, and now my priority is not to push my body to the limit every single day," the Indian said.