Sania Mirza Biography
About
India’s teen sensation, Sania Mirza was born in Mumbai on 15 November 1986. Initially she was coached by her father Imran Mirza and C G Krishna Bhupathi (father of another famous Indian tennis star, Mahesh Bhupathi), she turned professional in 2003. She has entered the record books for being the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, in singles as well as in doubles.
Professional Life
She has many firsts to her credit, among them becoming the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2005 US Open. In the same year, she reached the third round of the Australian Open. She had won the Wimbledon Championships Girls’ Doubles title in 2003.
At the Doha Asian Games 2006, Sania brought laurels for India winning the silver in the women’s singles category and the gold in the mixed doubles category. She has been a hot with the media and especially the youth of India, who see her as a role model. She was in the news when certain Islamic clerics castigated her for wearing what they termed as “unIslamic dresses.”
In mixed doubles category with her Indian partner Mahesh Bhupathi, she has won the Australia Open in 2009 and French Open in 2012. In 2014, partnering with Brazilian tennis player Bruno Soares, she won the mixed doubles US Open.
In 2015, she created history by becoming the first Indian woman to achieve the world number one ranking in the doubles segment of WTA. In the same year, she won the Wuhan Open women’s doubles trophy, along with her Swiss partner Martina Hingis. This was the seventh title they have won together.
Personal Life
She is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoib Malik. The wedding took place at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad.
Records and Achievements
The stupendous success of tennis duo Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis in 2015 has helped them attain the title of 2015 Womens Doubles World Champions. Conferred upon the two tennis stars by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), this title has brought the two women tennis players closer to each other. Quite contented with the award received from the ITF, Sania Mirza seeks to become an inspiration for all female tennis aspirants in India. Both, Sania and Martina have played together to win their last 22 matches, beginning from the US Open to wins recorded in Asia at Wuhan, Guangzhou, Beijing and finally the WTA Finals.
- Along with Alisa Klebanova of Russia, Mirza won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls’ Doubles title.
- Became the runner-up at the 2004 Asian Tennis Championship.
- In 2005, she reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open. and the third round of the Australian Open. In the same year, she also became the first Indian
- woman who won a WTA singles title, claiming the Hyderabad Open.
- She earned a silver in the women’s singles category and a gold in the mixed doubles with Leander Paes at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
- Mirza made it to the third round and the mixed quarterfinals with Mahesh Bhupati at the 2007 U.S. Open.
- She made her way to the quarter-finals at Hobart as No. 6 seed in 2008. She also made it to the third round at the Australian Open. She ended up as a runner-up at the Australian Open mixed doubles.
- She won the mixed doubles title and got Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2009, with Mahesh Bhupati. In the same year, she also made it to the Pattaya Women`s Open Tournament final in Bangkok.
Awards and Recognitions
- Received Arjuna Award in 2004
- Became WTA New Comer of the Year in 2005
- Received Padma Shri in 2006
- Got Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2015
- Earned Padma Bhushan in 2016
