Sania Mirza: From Humble Beginnings in Hyderabad to a Global Star Player

Sania Mirza: From Humble Beginnings in Hyderabad to a Global Star Player

One of the finest tennis players produced in India, Sania Mirza, has been the former World No.1. She has won grand slams a record six times and has been a three-time Olympian. Born on November 15, 1986, to a Hyderabadi Muslim family, she had a passion for sports developing from her family.

Early Start

Mirza was born into a household that played more than a hobby. Her family had a long list of elite athletes. Her family included former cricket captains of the Pakistani and Indian team. Sania’s dad was keen towards sports and started training at the age of four. The family had a big influence on Sania deciding to pursue a career in sports.

When Mirza was a couple of months old, her family moved from Mumbai to Hyderabad. She used to go swimming and had many tennis courts around her. Her mother advised that she begin practicing tennis because during her holidays in the summer, Mirza had little to do at home. Surely age was next to her.

Father’s Support

Mirza went to a lawn tennis trainer, but her coach declined to train her since she was “too tiny.” But he recognized after a month that he had never seen such a good player, six years old.

She attended Nasr School in her early schooling years and later studied at St. Mary’s, which also serves as the alma mater of VVS Laxman. Her principal realized the potential in Sania and encouraged her to train rigorously. Mirza aspired to adopt lawn tennis as a full-time occupation when she was 12-13 years old.

Professional Career

Mirza won 10 singles and 13 doubles as a junior player. Her terrific performance earned India a bronze medal at the Asian Games held in 2002. She reached the US Open Girls’ Quarterfinals. In 2003, she won the Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles Championship and won the US Open Girls’ Doubles semi-finals.

Mirza got a wildcard to compete in her maiden WTA competition. Luck wasn’t on her side as she was eliminated in the first round. Another setback followed this in the first qualifying round of the Qatar Ladies Open when Mirza was beaten. Mirza repaid the favor by winning four gold medals in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in her hometown of Hyderabad. Sania couldn’t achieve victory in the 2004 Hyderabad Open wherein she was knocked out in the first round.

She had a strong comeback when she went on to win the Doubles title. It was the first time India won a doubles title with Mirza being the architect. Her stunning performance led to her winning six ITF titles in 2004. To celebrate her achievements, she was lauded with the Arjuna Award. Her outstanding performance was recognized by the government.

Mirza advanced to the third round of the 2005 Australian Open before losing to Serena Williams. At the 2005 US Open, she became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam competition, losing to top seed Maria Sharapova. Mirza reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open. Mirza was voted WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2005 after having a successful season.

Grand Slams

Mirza became the first female Indian in a grand slam event ranked at the 2006 Australian Open; however, she was knocked out in the second round. She subsequently lost to Swiss star Martina Hingis at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The year didn’t go particularly well for Sania as she was eliminated from the Wimbeldons and French Open in 2006. To the utter shock of fans, she was eliminated in the initial rounds without making a mark.

Still, she did make it to the second round of the 2006 US Open. The year ended on a good note for her when Sania competed against Martina Hingis and reached the semi finals of the Sunfest Open. However she was defeated by Hingis.She won the doubles championship alongside Liezel Huber of the United States.

Injury Ridden Times

2008 was the year in which Sania was forced to resign because of many injuries from several matches. It began the year very well, as Mahesh Bhupathi, partner of the Australian Open, mixed twice. In singles, she came into the 3rd round when Venus Williams lost to her. At the BNP Paribas Open, she was out in the second round. At the Wimbledon Championships in 2008, she was defeated during the fourth round.

The Beijing Olympics of 2008 was a disappointing event for her as she had to withdraw from the event early owing to injuries. At the US Open that year, she couldn’t play. She made her impressive 2009 comeback with her first Grand Slam victory, which Mahesh Bhupathi doubled during the Australian Open 2009. She finished in the semi-finals twice in the Pattaya Open.

In 2010 Mirza fought with injuries as she couldn’t win any competition. Mirza fought more. Fortunately, she earned silver and bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. At the beginning of 2011, she ranked 141.

Lack of Support

What the shining eyes and smiles couldn’t disguise was a sense of deep sadness and grief arising from her own countrymen’s constant disdain for her achievements. Since turning pro in 2003, she has suffered humiliation after humiliation.

The Hyderabadi, who has topped the doubles rankings since April of this year, has long been a source of contention, with critics dismissing her credentials. Critics constantly claim that she has only found success in the doubles circuit, which is a less difficult alternative to the highly competitive singles circuit.

These allegations may be rejected by looking at the career of Mirza. She has had a high rank of 27, a worthy achievement given that she had no precedence, not just in tennis but in sports as a whole.

Sania has made headlines for her off-court squabbles more than her 25 WTA wins. She has been relentlessly assailed by conservative Muslim clergy who think no woman should step out, let alone play tennis. They called her a disgrace to her faith, a person who was only ‘corrupting’ the nation’s young brains.

Days before the 2012 London Olympics, Bhupathi and Bopanna both declined to partner Paes in the men’s doubles event. Paes insisted on being paired with Mirza in the mixed doubles tournament. Sania accused the All India Tennis Association of using her as bait to keep Paes happy, despite her desire to play with Bhupathi, in a sharply worded letter. She has remained an outspoken Indian who refuses to be stifled even when her nationality is called into doubt.

Sania found herself becoming the scapegoat in the federation’s politics on more than one occasion. The joyful young girl, who has a deep-rooted passion for tennis, came face to face with the brutal reality of being a sportsperson.

Balancing Motherhood and Tennis

Sania had seen Being Serena, a 2018 documentary on Serena Williams. Their themes include vulnerability and the difficulty of balancing parenthood and being a very successful professional athlete. She was so affected that she penned “An Ode to All Mothers,” a tribute to the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner and fellow mother. She uploaded it on her social media channels.

India First

Sania broke down on camera recently after BJP leader K Laxman questioned Telangana’s decision to appoint her as the state’s brand ambassador. Laxman referred to her as “Pakistan’s daughter-in-law,” alluding to her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Sania Mirza is an inspiration to all Indians.She has shown her strong determination to keep shining in spite of the repeated difficulties imposed on her by the society. Even when she was playing without sponsors, she refused to give up hope and continued to believe in herself when the rest of the world had given up.

National Awards

Mirza was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2015, the highest sports honor bestowed by the Indian government, after being granted the Padma Shri (by the Indian government) in 2006. Sania Mirza earned the Padma Bhushan in 2016, becoming the fourth laureate in Indian tennis history, behind Vijay Amritraj, Ramanathan Krishnan, and Leander Paes.

Global Honors

In November 2013, she was named the UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia during a ceremony commemorating the International Day to End Violence Against Women. She is the organization’s first South Asian woman to be selected as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Marriage and Family

Sania tied her wedding nuptials in a traditional Hyderabadi Muslim ceremony with  Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 12, 2010. The wedding ceremony was held at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad, India, followed by Pakistani wedding rituals. Their Walima ceremony took place in Pakistan’s Lahore. The wedding was the most contentious coupling since it involved an Indian marrying a Pakistani. On October 30, 2018, the couple had their first baby and named the boy Izhaan Mirza Malik.

Sania has served as a key source of inspiration for many people. Her story is a lesson that every loss and setback is intended to be overcome rather than dreaded. These serve as stepping stones to our achievement.