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Sania Mirza: “Don’t let them tell you that you can’t do something”

The last box was missing to make it the perfect ending, but these things only happen in movies. Sania Mirzabeside Rohan Bopannathey lost in the mixed doubles final of the Open the Australia 2023, the last Grand Slam tournament for the legendary Indian tennis player. At 36 years old, the former No. 1 in the world in doubles has decided to put an end to an impressive career, both in terms of track records and validity. In February she will play her last two events, but before she had to say goodbye in Melbourne to her history with the Grand Slams. How could it be otherwise, each response was loaded with a lot of emotion and significance.

Last Grand Slam tournament

“I think if I had to imagine a dream scenario in my head for how I wanted to end this story, it would be on Center Court, the biggest or one of the biggest in the world. Of course winning would be a dream, but it couldn’t be. We are proud of the effort we have given, Rohan and I have been at this for a long time, the fact that we are still here, playing at the highest level, is something we are very proud of. Doing it together, being able to do it with one of my best friends, has been really special.”

Advice for the new generations

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, even if no one else has done it before. In my case, I never had that model to follow at home, when I decided to bet on tennis when I was just a girl. I’ve never seen this person or this woman do it before, I couldn’t rely on any example to think that I could do it too. Most people have that, but not all. Now I would be proud if I am able to inspire even one or two girls, to push them to achieve their dreams. That’s why they sent me to this place.”

the end of the road

“I have had a lot of emotions in these last two weeks, but I keep them inside. I’m fine with that, although today they were very difficult to handle. We would have loved to win this, to have a fairy tale ending, it’s very nice to be here with Rohan in another Grand Slam final. I think it’s been 16 years since the first one, so a lot of thoughts come to my mind right now. I don’t feel relief, so to speak, I know I’m going to miss him. I will miss walking among the big tracks, the competition, fighting to win, even losing. I still have a couple more tournaments that I want to play in, but it’s hard to accept that I’m never going to come back here again, it’s been almost 22 years without missing this appointment”.

serve as inspiration

“The great hope is to think that you are going to inspire more children, not only to pick up a racket, but to take up the sport, especially girls. This has changed a lot in the last 30 years, since I grabbed my first tennis racket, people thought my family was crazy for having a dream, we didn’t even know what it was to play a Grand Slam, the normal thing was to play tennis in cow dung fields. I don’t blame them for laughing at us, but we had a dream and we were able to achieve it as a family. I want kids to know that if you put your heart and soul into something, you can do it, no matter how many odds you’re against. They have to try, you’ll never know until you try.”

A tall record

“For me it has been an incredible journey, I have achieved dreams that I never thought I could achieve. Of course, as an athlete, we are all greedy. If you ask me, would you have liked to get something else? Of course yes. Instead of 6, I would have liked to win 12 Grand Slams and be the best individual player in the world, but that’s not how life works. I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve, you know, with the type of facilities and the type of infrastructure that we had, the type of context that we had 30 years ago when we started”.

Two tournaments before retirement

“I’ll be playing in Abu Dhabi with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, because Bethanie came up to me the other day and said, ‘You can’t retire without playing me.’ She tricked me into playing in Abu Dhabi with her (laughs). Anyway, we had a wildcard for Abu Dhabi. I will also play in Dubai with Madison Keys, who is one of my best friends on tour. I want to end up dating two of my best friends.”

Your right, just like old times

“Feels great to get some strength back on this shot, especially the cross forehand, I looked amazing. That shot has made me win some Grand Slams, it was something I learned very naturally. Steffi Graf was my idol growing up, she had one of the best drives on the circuit, if not the greatest. I always wanted to emulate her, I wanted to have a right of hers like hers. I am very happy that I was able to get close to that, people talk a lot about my forehand, I feel that it has been a very important weapon in my career, it has really taken me a long way in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles”.

say goodbye your way

“I can say that I am leaving tennis at the top and I can say that I am leaving it because I want to, on my own terms, this is very important to me. On my way through the locker room I had to answer five people why I was retiring, most of them don’t understand it. The answer is that, right now, I feel like there are more important things in my life than tennis, my priorities have changed since I had my first child. Winning six or seven Grand Slams was no longer going to change my life, although now I am sitting here and I know that I still have the level to reach more finals. Both Rohan and I are sad to have lost a final, but these moments will stay with me for the rest of my life, winning or losing is part of the game.”

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