Indian tennis ace Sania to retire after 2022 season
Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza will retire from the sport after the conclusion of the 2022 season. India`s most successful female tennis player, Sania shared her retirement plans after the former World No.1 and her doubles partner Nadiia Kichenok suffered an early exit from the 2022 edition of the Australian Open. The 35-year-old had become the first Indian to clinch a Women`s Tennis Association (WTA) singles title in 2005. Sania had scripted history in the WTA singles event at Hyderabad. The tennis icon is married to former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. The 35-year-old last won a women`s doubles title at the Ostrava Open in September. Sania won six Grand Slam titles in her glittering tennis career. Often dubbed as the greatest Indian women`s tennis player in the history of the sport, Sania shared the retirement announcement during a press conference. Speaking at a presser after her defeat in the Australian Open women`s doubles first round, Saina confirmed that the tennis ace will hang up her racquet at the end of the 2022 season. Sania and her doubles partner Nadiia Kichenok were upstaged by Slovenia`s Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan in the first round of the Australian Open. Sania will next compete in the mixed doubles with Rajeev Ram.