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Sania Mirza, born on November 15, 1986, is a former Indian tennis player. She achieved the rank of No. 1 in the world in women’s doubles and won six major titles, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 to 2013, she was the top-ranked Indian singles player according to the Women’s Tennis Association. Throughout her career, Mirza became widely recognized, earned a substantial income, and had a significant impact on sports in India.
In singles, Mirza had victories against notable players like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli, Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka. She holds the highest-ever ranking for an Indian female player, reaching No. 27 in the world in mid-2007. However, due to a significant wrist injury, she transitioned to playing doubles.
Mirza achieved several milestones for women’s tennis in India, including earning over $7.2 million in her career, winning a singles WTA Tour title, capturing a major title, and qualifying for and winning the WTA Finals in 2014 in doubles with Cara Black. She successfully defended her title the following year, partnering with Martina Hingis. Mirza retired from professional tennis in February 2023.
Sania Mirza: Early Life
Sania Mirza date of birth is November 15, 1986, and was born in Mumbai. Her parents, Imran Mirza, who worked as a sports journalist, and Naseema, who had a job in a printing business, moved to Hyderabad shortly after she was born. Sania and her younger sister Anam were raised in a Sunni Muslim family. Anam is married to cricketer Mohammad Asaduddin, the son of former India cricket team captain, Mohammad Azharuddin. Sania also has distant family ties to former cricket captains Ghulam Ahmed of India and Asif Iqbal of Pakistan.
Sania started playing tennis when she was just six years old. Her father and Roger Anderson have coached her in tennis. She attended Nasr School in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary’s College, Hyderabad. Sania Mirza also received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute in Chennai on December 11, 2008.
Sania Mirza Marriage
Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik got married on April 12, 2010, in a traditional Muslim wedding in Hyderabad, India, at the Taj Krishna Hotel. Sania & Sania Mirza Husband had a wedding reception in Sialkot, Pakistan. As part of the Muslim wedding tradition, she received a Mahr of Rs. 6.1 million. Their wedding gained a lot of attention online, making Sania Mirza the most searched female tennis player and Indian athlete on Google in 2010.
Sania Mirza: Career
Sania Mirza started playing tennis when she was just six years old, getting her training from her father. As a junior player, she achieved significant success, winning 10 singles and 13 doubles titles, including the 2003 Wimbledon Championships and the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.
In 2004, she made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA doubles title at the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open. That year, she also secured six ITF singles titles. Her remarkable performance in 2005 earned her the title of WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Sania Mirza continued to break barriers, becoming the first Indian woman to be seeded at a Grand Slam event, the 2006 Australian Open. She also clinched the Banglore Open doubles title and excelled at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, winning gold in mixed doubles and silver in women’s singles and teams.
Her career reached new heights in 2007 when she achieved her highest singles ranking, reaching world No. 27. She also claimed four doubles titles that year. However, in 2008, she faced setbacks due to wrist injuries, leading to withdrawals from several matches, including Grand Slams.
In 2009, she won her first Australian Open Grand Slam Doubles title and later secured her first Premier Mandatory title at Indian Wells in 2011, along with the Family Circle Cup doubles title.
Sania Mirza’s impressive performance in the Fed Cup in 2013 helped India advance to the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I for 2013. She continued to shine, winning the Dubai Championships doubles title with Mattek-Sands and five WTA titles partnering with various players in 2013.
In 2014, she added more accolades to her name, including the Portugal Open doubles title and the 2014 US Open mixed-doubles championship with Bruno Soares. She also won medals at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Sania Mirza’s career featured ups and downs, but in 2015, she reached her career-high ranking. She made history by becoming the first Indian to be ranked world No. 1 in WTA’s doubles rankings. In 2018, she took maternity leave and made a successful comeback in 2020, winning the Hobart International with Nadiia Kichenok. However, due to physical wear and tear, she announced her retirement in 2022.
Sania Mirza Retirement
At the end of 2018, Mirza announced her plan to return to professional tennis for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In January 2020, after a nearly two-year break from the sport, she made her comeback at the Hobart International, coinciding with her son’s first birthday celebration.
However, Mirza officially retired on January 7, 2023, after her last competition at the Dubai Championships. She started the season playing with Anna Danilina but faced defeats against the top-seeded players at the Australian Open and Adelaide International. In mixed doubles, she and Rohan Bopanna reached the final in Dubai.
Sania Mirza: Awards & Achievements
- She reached the 27th position in the world rankings around mid-2007, making her the highest-ranked female Indian player ever.
- Mirza has earned a total of 14 medals, including six gold, from three major multi-sport events: the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Afro-Asian Games.
- In 2004, Sania Mirza was honored with the Arjuna Award.
- She received the Padma Shri in 2006 and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2005.
- In 2015, she received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.
- She was also featured on the BBC’s list of 100 remarkable women in 2015 and received the Padma Bhushan in 2016.
- In the same year (2016), she was recognized as the NRI of the Year.
- She recently won the 2023 Super Glam Sports Star of the Year at the Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards.
- Time Magazine acknowledged her as one of the “50 Heroes of Asia” in October 2005.
- The Telangana government appointed her as the state’s brand ambassador in 2014.
- Chandrashekhar Rao congratulated Sania Mirza on receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
- In 2005, she held the world No. 1 position for 91 weeks and secured 43 doubles trophies.
Sania Mirza Net Worth
According to a report in the Financial Express, Sania Mirza’s net worth is an impressive $26 million, which translates to approximately Rs 210 crore in Indian currency. Her journey in tennis, from starting with very little to becoming a well-known figure, has been truly remarkable, showcasing her strong dedication and love for the sport.
After participating in the 2023 Australian Open, she decided to retire from tennis. Her Grand Slam journey came to an end when she and her partner Rohan Bopanna lost in the mixed doubles final to Brazil’s Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos. This defeat marked Stefani and Matos’s first Australian Open title win, with a final score of 7-6, 6-2.
Sania Mirza: Controversies
In 2006, some newspapers said that Mirza refused to play doubles with an Israeli tennis player named Shahar Pe’er because she was worried about protests from India’s Muslim community. On February 4, 2008, Mirza announced that she wouldn’t participate in tennis tournaments held in India, starting with the 2008 Bangalore Open the next month. She mentioned that it was due to several controversies and advice from her manager. However, she did take part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
During the 2012 Olympics, when Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna declined to play in the men’s doubles event with Leander Paes, Paes asked to partner with Mirza for the mixed doubles. Mirza accused the All India Tennis Association (AITA) of using her as a pawn to make Paes happy, as she preferred to play with Bhupathi, with whom she had won 2 grand slams. Ultimately, Mirza played with Paes, and they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles.
In 2008, Mirza and Sunitha Rao were seen breaking the dress code at the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony parade. In response, Mirza stated her loyalty to her homeland, saying that standing on the podium and seeing the national flag go up is the proudest moment for an athlete.
Mirza faced criticism when she was named the brand ambassador for the state of Telangana, with some referring to her as “Pakistan’s daughter-in-law” because her husband, Shoaib Malik, is a Pakistani cricketer. Telangana’s chief minister, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, awarded Mirza ₹1 crore on two occasions. She was also called in by the tax department regarding service tax on the money received, but she clarified that the ₹1 crore was given as a training incentive and not for her role as the state’s brand ambassador.
Sania Mirza Divorce
Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza confirmed on Sunday that she and veteran Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik have been divorced for a “few months.” This announcement came from Sania and her team just a day after Malik married well-known Pakistani actress Sana Javed. They have asked for privacy and requested fans on social media to avoid making speculations.
FAQs on Sania Mirza Biography
Who is Sania Mirza?
Sania Mirza, born on November 15, 1986, is a retired Indian tennis player. She achieved the top rank in doubles tennis and secured victory in six significant tournaments, with three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles.
Is Sania Mirza divorced?
On January 21, Anam Mirza, Sania Mirza's sister, posted an official statement on Instagram, announcing the divorce on behalf of Sania Mirza and their family. The statement mentioned that Sania has consistently kept her private life away from the public's attention.
What is Sania Mirza famous for?
Sania Mirza stands out as India's top women's tennis player. With six Grand Slam wins, a past No. 1 in doubles, and four Olympic appearances, she achieved remarkable success in her tennis journey from 2003 to 2023, elevating Indian tennis to greater heights.
Does Sania Mirza have a child?
Shoaib and Sania got married in Shoaib's hometown, Hyderabad, India, in April 2010. They lived in Dubai, and in October 2018, they welcomed their son, Ihzaan Mirza Malik.
Why did Sania Mirza retire?
'It is something that I have been thinking for a while, and I think that my body is beat. I know what is taking me to stay at this level and compete at this level, and I don't know if I have that in me anymore, and to put that much anymore. So, ya, the tank's a little bit empty,'Sania told the channel.
