New Delhi: India’s most celebrated female tennis player, Sania Mirza, on Wednesday announced her retirement plans after defeat in the first round of women’s doubles at the Australian Open 2022. Following the defeat, Mirza, 35, announced that 2022 is going to be her last season on the tour and she really wants to complete it. Currently ranked 68th in the world, Sania is a former World No. 1 in doubles and also attained a career-best ranking of 27 in singles.
“There are a few reasons for it. It’s not as simple as ‘okay I’m not going to play’. I do feel my recovery is taking longer; I’m putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older,” Mirza said after the contest on Court 5 at Melbourne Park.
Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia defeated Mirza and Kichenok in the opening round to march ahead in the ongoing Grand Slam. Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok lost 4-6 6-7(5) to the Slovenian team of Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan in one hour and 37 minutes. Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna was also knocked out of the men’s doubles events of the Australian Open, after losing his first-round matches on Wednesday.
Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin lost in three sets to wild card pair of Christopher Rungkat and Treat Huey. They began confidently but lost momentum mid-way to lose 6-3 6-7(2) 2-6 in one hour and 48 minutes. The two Indians are, however, still alive in the first Grand slam of the season as they will compete in the mixed doubles. Bopanna has teamed up with Croatia’s Darija Jurak Schreiber, while Mirza has paired up with American Rajeev Ram.