Some romances never fade, even after the main protagonist has walked away into the sunset. One of the biggest hits of Indian sport, against all odds, Sania Mirza bid the tennis world an emotional farewell this year in Dubai. There was emotion and nostalgia as Sania left fans in tears. For the cynics who ask if she won a major tournament this year, please understand that her very presence on court was inspirational for over two decades.
Over this period, the young lass from Hyderabad, who went on to eventually become a Super Mom, defined stage presence. There was aura, not arrogance, as she gave it her best for years. If greatness is defined just by numbers, the assortment of Grand Slam titles that Sania won in women’s doubles and mixed doubles were not in double digits. But you just don’t scoff at six major wins.
For someone who faced several injuries and underwent surgeries, each return to the tennis court was even more romantic. When she and “Level 43” Rohan Bopanna lost the Australian Open mixed final this January, it was painful.
Sample this – two stars, past their prime, or so we thought, meshing together to provide sparks. That they lost the final was no disgrace. It was proof that at a time when tennis is such a physical game, mixed doubles allowed for skill, stealth and deception. Not all could serve up doubles treats the way Sania did. Of course, Bopanna the Coorgi is still there, craving one more season at the top. As Sania herself told RevSportz, Rohan could be around for a few more years!
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If Melbourne made you cry, then Sania and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, her women’s doubles partner, played in the United Arab Emirates before she signed off. Those who watched Sania play her last few events in 2023 said that she could have gone on for a few more years.
From beyond the tramlines of a tennis court, it looked so easy. For Super Mom, son Izhaan had become top priority. The love and bonding between the two is intense, and Sania was not willing to compromise. This showed how much she had evolved, from being a young girl to a doting mom wanting to spend time with her son.
Sania had told this writer how waking up each morning, hitting the gym, training and then travelling was not easy at all. It takes a toll on the body. In the first place, when Sania went on a maternity break, there were doubts if she could return. She put on weight, and regaining match fitness was not easy.
It was her devotion to tennis and her inner energy which she channeled to make a comeback and earn the tag of Super Mom. As Sania reflects on her career, it is with a tinge of sadness. She had wanted an Olympic medal badly, but lost out in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with Bopanna as her partner in the bronze-medal playoff.
Rewind to two decades ago, and Sania started as a singles exponent, her inside-out forehand a blistering shot. She took the world by storm in 2003 and 2004 as she started doing well against the big guns. However, injuries and surgeries kept pegging Sania back, until a stage came when she had to play just doubles.
As Indian tennis struggles to find a women’s singles player who can make it into the Top 150, this is the time to applaud and acclaim Sania, and the way she graced the tennis court with magnetic presence. Till the time the next Sania appears on the horizon, Indian tennis will have to content itself with watching the best of her old matches. For the record, people talk of Ons Jabeur as a pathbreaker, coming as she does from the Arab world. Don’t forget that Sania hails from Hyderabad, still a conservative city in so many ways.
That she could break the stereotypes and play bold tennis defined her legacy. Thank you, Sania. You are missed.