IntroductionSania Mirza , Having been born in India on November 15, 1986, she rose to the top of the doubles world rankings and claimed six major championships. From 2003 to 2013, when she peaked at world No. 27, she was the best singles player in India. Due to an injury to her wrist, she turned her attention to doubles, where she won 43 titles until retiring in February 2023. Having won 14 gold at major events, Mirza made almost $7.2 million. She was the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia and was recognized as one of Time's "50 Heroes of Asia".Early lifeSania Mirza was born in Mumbai on November 15, 1986, to Imran, a sports journalist from Hyderabad, and Naseema, a printing company employee. Soon after her birth, her family relocated to Hyderabad, where she grew up in a devout Sunni Muslim household alongside her sister Anam, who is married to cricket player Muhammad Asaduddin. The cricket captains Asif Iqbal and Ghulam Ahmed are distantly related to her. At six years old, Mirza began playing tennis under the guidance of Roger Anderson and her father. In 2008, the Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters. She attended Nasr School and St. Mary's College in Hyderabad.Tennis careerSuccess on the ITF Junior CircuitSania Mirza, who was trained by her father, started playing tennis at the age of six and went professional in 2003. She won thirteen doubles titles and ten singles championships as a junior, including the Wimbledon girls' doubles in 2003 with Alisa Kleybanova. She made her senior circuit debut at the age of fifteen in April 2001 on the ITF Circuit. Highlights included winning three titles in 2002, including the gold medal from the National Games of India, and making it to the semifinals in both New Delhi and Pune in 2001. She competed in her first WTA event in 2003 at the Hyderabad Open. At the 2002 Asian Games, she won a bronze medal in mixed doubles, and at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, she won four gold medals.Success in WTA Tour and Grand Slam tournamentsSania Mirza, the eventual champion Nicole Pratt, defeated her in three sets at the Hyderabad Open after entering as a wildcard. At the same tournament, she and Liezel Huber won their first WTA doubles championship. In 2004, Mirza won six ITF singles championships. She won the Hyderabad Open WTA championship in 2005, making history as the first Indian woman to do it. She advanced to the Wimbledon second round, the Australian Open third round, and the Dubai quarterfinals. For her accomplishments, Mirza was named WTA Newcomer of the Year and advanced to the US Open's fourth round as well as the Japan Open semifinals.Top 30 singles breakthroughSania Mirza won three medals in the Asian Games in Doha in 2006, making history as the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam event. She achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 27 the following year. In 2007, Mirza put up impressive displays, making it to the US Open third round, the Hobart semifinals, and the Bangalore quarterfinals. She also advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open in the women's and mixed doubles divisions and won four doubles championships. Read the full article
