Sania Mirza crashed out of the first round of Australian Open 2022, and subsequently dropped a bombshell announcing her retirement plans after 2022.
India's tennis ace Sania Mirza on Wednesday announced that she will be hanging up her racquet after the ongoing 2022 season. With that, the former world number 1 will draw curtains on an illustrious career that saw Sania win six Grand Slam titles alongside 43 doubles' titles in her immensely decorated career so far. She is the first Indian to win a Grand Slam, and also the first woman tennis superstar of India. As the 35-year-old draws close to her swansong, here are the top 5 achievements of Sania Mirza's illustrious career:
1. Only Indian female to win WTA title
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Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to clinch a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) title of any kind. She won two WTA finals, first alongside Cara Black in 2014, and later in 2015, she partnered up with Swiss legend Martin Hingis to successfully defend her WTA crown.
2. Sania Mirza won 3 Grand Slam titles in Women's Doubles
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The 35-year-old was a serial winner in the double's category. In total, she won 6 Grand Slam titles in her career 3 of which came in the mixed doubles category. Sania also won three grand slam titles with Martina Hingis in women's doubles. The pair registered their first two Grand Slams by winning the Wimbledon in 2015, and the 2015 US Open as well. Later, Sania and Martina also won the 2016 Australian Open to pick up their third Grand Slam title.
3. Sania Mirza won 3 Mixed Doubles Grand Slams
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Apart from the glory in women's doubles, Sania also won three Grand Slams in the mixed doubles category. Alongside fellow Indian superstar Mahesh Bhupati, Sania picked up her first two mixed doubles Grand Slams by winning the Australian Open in 2009, and the French Open in 2012. She would go on to pair up with Brazilian tennis player Bruno Soares to add a third Grand Slam to her tally by registering a victory in the 2014 US Open.
4. Sania Mirza achieved World no.1 ranking in doubles category
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India's tennis ace reached the pinnacle of the sport in the doubles category, she ranked world number 1 in doubles on April 13, 2015. That was the peak of Sania Mirza's career, wherein she became the first Indian woman to achieve world number 1 ranking in the sport.
5. Sania the serial winner won 14 medals across multi-sports events
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Sania Mirza won a staggering 14 medals across multiple sports events, including 6 gold medals for India. She won a total of 7 medals in Asian Games across different editions in both women's and mixed doubles categories. Moreover, she won the Women's singles silver medal as well as a bronze in women's doubles at the 2010 Commonwealth games held in Delhi.
