Avinash karn
Sania Mirza. Isn’t the name in itself boisterous? India’s first lady superstar of Indian Tennis beacons the women’s community high in Indian Tennis. The racquet for her is like the Elder Wand for Harry Potter. Her racquet has led her wrap up six Grand Slam titles as much as the Elder Wand made up Deathly Hallows along with Resurrection Stone and Cloak of Invisibility. But, what is her spell? The 36-year-old Tennis player slogs for six hours a day and works out intensely at the gym. Let’s plunge into Sania Mirza’s biography and take a trip down memory lane to know more about her.
Sania Mirza’s Biography
Born on November 15th, 1986 to Imran Mirza, a builder, and Neseema who worked in a printing business, Sania Mirza got herself involved in the game at the age of 6. Due to her dad’s poor financial condition, she couldn’t get professional training. Despite it, initially, she was trained by C.K Bupati- the Dad of Mahesh Bhupati. Her beloved father and Roger Anderson trained her. She and her sister Anam were brought up in a Sunni Muslim Family. Like any normal kid, Sania attended a school called Nasr in Hyderabad. Her academic credentials are as commendable as her tennis since she obtained an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the M.G.R Educational and Research Institute, Chennai. Besides Tennis, Sania Mirza loves to play cricket and swim.
Sania Mirza’s Wedding
Sania Mirza tied the knot with Shoaib Malik on April 12th, 2010 at Taj Hotel, Hyderabad. The couple celebrated Walima at Sialkot in Pakistan. On the other hand, Sania Mirza after her wedding was subjected to sharp criticism and outrage since she married a Pakistani citizen. Her wedding was the most googled one in 2010. On April 23rd, 2018, the couple announced their pregnancy news on social media. On October 23rd, 2018, the couple happily welcomed their son who was named Izhaan Mirza Malik to this world.
Sania Mirza’s Husband’s Name
Sania Mirza got engaged to Sohrab Mirza initially. They both met each other at St Mary’s College where they studied. But due to differences of opinion and poor understanding between the couple, they broke the engagement after six months. Later, Sania Mirza married Shoaib Malik, a former Pakistani cricketer in 2010 at Hyderabad. Sania Mirza’s wedding came to a severe backlash since Shoaib Malik was Pakistani nationality. However, it is rumored that the couple is going to divorce. But the hug Sania Mirza gave recently to her husband Shoaib Malik in her retirement farewell,it has confirmed that she was happy in her marriage.
Sania Mirza’s Son
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Life is not complete without having a kid, who brings a smile to one’s face amidst all the ups and downs. On April 23rd, 2018, the couple announced their pregnancy news on social media. On October 23rd, 2018, the couple happily welcomed their son who was named Izhaan Mirza Malik to this world.
One can find Izhaan Malik’s heart-stealing pictures posted on Sania Mirza’s Instagram account.
Sania Mirza’s Age
Sania Mirza’s date of birth is November 15th, 1986, She was born to a Hyderadi couple. As of today, Sania Mirza’s age is 36. Yet, for people like her age is just a number. She still holds high credentials in Tennis and all that she is involved in.
Sania Mirza’s Networth
Apart from being a frontline tennis player, Sania Mirza appears in advertisements and participates in fashion shows. Her eye-catching ramp walks are something that has to be mentioned here. She founded a Tennis Academy in Hyderabad. It has branches in Dubai too. Put together, Sania Mirza’s net worth is valued at around 184 crores INR or $25 million.
Sania Mirza’s awards and recognitions
Sania Mirza through consistency, dedication, hard work, and determination has brought a lot of glory and laurels to India. The list of her feats might run for pages, but we have brought some of the prominent feathers in her cap out here. Sit back and take a glance!
Sania Mirza’s Awards
- It is breathtaking to look at her award cabinet glimmering and shimmering with 6 Grand Slams. 6 Grand Slams, you read that right! After her debut in 2001, she rose to higher ranks and the rest was history. However, she has not won any Grand Slam titles in women’s singles. The years between 2009 and 2016 were high notes for her since she wrapped up 6 Grand Slams in Doubles titles- Three each in Women’s Doubles and the rest in Mixed Doubles. In 2015, she rose to the rank of No.1 in the women’s doubles ranking.
The table below highlights her Grand Slam achievements.
|
Years of Achievement |
Grand Slam | Title |
Partner |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Mixed Doubles | Mahesh Bhupati |
| 2012 | French Open | Mixed Doubles | Mahesh Bhupati |
| 2014 | US Open | Mixed Doubles | Bruno Soares |
| 2015 | Wimbledon | Women’s Doubles | Martina Hingis |
| 2015 | US Open | Women’s Doubles | Martina Hingis |
| 2016 | Australian Open | Women’s Doubles | Martina Hingis |
2009 Australian Open- Mixed Doubles
This was Sania Mirza’s first milestone in her tennis career. Sania Mirza- Mahesh Bhupati duo defeated Israel’s Andy Ram and France’s Nathalie Dechy in the final round to emerge as the winners.
2012 French Open- Mixed Doubles
Sania Mirza’s second major title was also from the Doubles Category with Mahesh Bhupati. In the finals, they both defeated Klaudia Jans –Ignacik of Poland and Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez in the finals to clinch the Grand Slam
2014 US Open – Mixed Doubles
The Indo- Mexican pair sailed through the finals winning over US’s Abigail Spears and Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez in to clinch the third Grand Slam.
2015 Wimbledon Open–Women’s Doubles
Santina- Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis of the USA, defeated the Russian alliance of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the finals to win the tournament.
2016 Australian Open – Women’s Doubles
This was Sania Mirza’s final Grand Slam. This Indo- American twosome clinched the Grand Slam over Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucia Hradecka in the final round.
India is very proud to have a woman- talent taking the country to great heights.
- Any sportsman with high aspirations would one day dream to play in the Olympic arena. But not all succeed. Sania Mirza is of course an exception. She went beyond just taking part to become a four-time Olympian. She debuted in Olympic Games at Beijing in 2008. In the first round, she had to retire due to wrist injury. In the doubles, she and her mate Sunirtha Rao were defeated in the second round itself.
- She then went on to take part in the 2012 London Olympics, Although she and her partner Rushmi Chakravarti make it to the second round, she reached the quarter-finals with Leander Paes but got defeated.
- Sania Mirza partnered with Rohan Bopanna at Rio Olympics 2016 in Mixed Doubles and reached the semi-finals stage. However, they lost to the Czech duo Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek to win the Bronze medal.
Sania Mirza adorned her “Victory Hat” with more colorful feathers by participating in Asian and Commonwealth Tournaments. She has an astounding 8-medal feat from Asian Games. 15-year-old Sania Mirza took part in Asian Games in 2002 to pair up with Leander Paes and won a Bronze medal in the mixed doubles.
She then clinched Gold in the 2006 Asian Games Edition in Doha. She capped off Bronze in Women’s Singles and Silver from the Mixed Doubles at The Incheon Asian Games in 2014.
Due to her pregnancy, she could not participate in the 2018 edition.
- In 2004, the Indian Government bestowed her with the Arjuna Award. That would have been a proud moment for her and her parents because any Indian being recognized by the government for him/her talents would bring tears to their eyes. This is an opportunity to hold the Indian Flag right up above the heads and make it shine like a star, which she is!
- Again in 2006, she was awarded Padma Sri, the fourth civilian award presented by the Indian Government.
- Sania Mirza takes pride in being one of the highest-paid Indian athletes. Well. Her Sania Mirza’s net worth says it all, certainly!
- Sania Mirza held the rank No.1 given by the Women’s Tennis Association from 2003 till the year she retired.
- Sania Mirza has totally won 14 medals to date that includes 6 Grand Slams and all her feats in Asian, Commonwealth, and Afro-Asian Games.
- Sania Mirza opened a Tennis Academy by the name SMTA in Hyderabad and Dubai to create a lineage for her sports and style of playing which she considers being the best of the best achievement.
- In 2014, the Telangana Government roped her in as the brand ambassador of the state.
- The living legend has been a part of Billie Jean King Cup 11 times since 2003 and has won 27 times and lost 10 times. Winning tree must-win ties, Sania Mirza had taken a pivotal part during the Fed Cup 2020.
Sania Mirza on Instagram
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Sania Mirza runs an account on Instagram that goes by the name mirzasaniar. Sania Mirza on Instagram, posts pictures of her son Izhaan Mirza Malik, her recent hangouts with buddies, pictures from her tournaments, advertisements, etc. Constant encouragement from her fans consistency in posting updates, optimism, and zeal have Sania Mirza reach 11 million followers on Instagram.
From scrolling down Sania Mirza’s Instagram page, one can understand her enthusiasm towards sports, her commitment towards her son Izhaan Mirza Malik, her love for her husband Shoaib Malik, and her perfectionism in all her endeavors.
Sania Mirza Ranking
While getting a rank in the classroom in itself such daunting for kids, Sania Mirza has achieved triumph in almost all the tournaments that she has played. Some of her major achievements are listed below.
- On April 2015, Sania Mirza set a footprint in the tennis fraternity by becoming the first woman tennis player from India to rank No.1 in Women’s Doubles. She won the title with Martina Hingis at the Women’s Tennis Association Family Circle Cup in Charleston.
- Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis their consecutive third title after the Miami Open and Indian Wells which helped her attain the rank No.1 title.
- Sania Mirza’s International Tennis Federation rank is No.14.
Sania Mirza’s Last Match
An emotional Sania Mirza bid a final goodbye saying she couldn’t think of a better place other than Melbourne to announce her retirement as that was where she had started her career. Yes! Australian Open was Sania Mirza’s last match.
Roahn Bopanna and Sania Mirza stammered initially in the match. In the Fourth and Eighth games, they played against Luisa Stefani but lost to her in the tiebreaker.
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Mirza announced her retirement plans from professional tennis after the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship in February.
Sania Mirza went on to her Twitter page and thanked all her teary-eyed fans, well-wishers, and all other celebrities who had reacted to her retirement announcement.
Sania Mirza’s Retirement
After the living legend announced her retirement at the Australian Open, she was welcomed by her family and friends with a blast at her Dubai Residence. The celebrity had posted snippets from the party on Instagram where her family and friends greeted her with huge smiles and pure hearts as she opened the door to her house with her son, Izhaan Mirza Malik. Sania thanked everybody with her touching verses on Instagram. She was also seen hugging her friends and husband, Shoaib Malik who greeted her with a bouquet of flowers and a wide grin on his face.
Though her retirement has created a vacuum in the tennis field, it is a great opportunity for aspiring young tennis players to take her as an inspiration and work harder than ever to fill the space.
How Sania Mirza Becomes A Role Model For Many?
Being a proponent of gender equality, Sania Mirza has not only won playing in the roughest of courts but has proved anything can be achieved by a woman as much as a man does.
Her Fed Cup 2020 tournament was an example of it as she gave a tough fight to her opponents right post her maternity of her son Izhaan Mirza Malik.
The dynamic youth icon has been honored as the UN Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia recently. Laksmi Puri, Assistant Secretary- General of the UN and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women hailed her for leading thousands of young children, especially girls to shape a career in sports. This is definitely, Sania Mirza’s biggest achievement that she can take pride in.
