Sania Mirza’s final Grand Slam match ended in defeat in the mixed doubles final of the Australian Open. On Friday, the 36-year-old Mirza, India’s finest female tennis player, made it all the way to the championship match at Melbourne Park. However, she and her 42-year-old doubles partner Rohan Bopanna were unable to prevail, falling to Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos 7-6 (7/2), 6-2. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Mirza was in tears. “If I cry, they will be happy tears,” Mirza added. “I do not wish to take this moment away from Matos-Stefani, who has earned it.”
Mirza made her Grand Slam debut 18 years ago in Melbourne, when she was defeated in the third round by eventual 2005 winner Serena Williams. “I’ve had the privilege to come back here multiple times, win some tournaments, and play in some great finals,” said Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed. “Rohan was my first-ever mixed-doubles partner at [age] 14, and we won the nationals,” said Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed. It was 22 years ago, and I couldn’t have asked for a greater guy – he is one of my greatest friends and best collaborators – to complete my career here and play in the final. Mirza, who is married to the former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik and has a little kid named Izhaan with him, stated that it was an honor to compete in front of him in a big final.
Mirza became the first Indian to win a WTA singles championship in her native Hyderabad in 2005. In the same year, she reached the fourth round of the US Open, and by 2007, she was ranked among the top 30 women. A wrist injury led her to focus on doubles, where she formed a combination with the legendary Martina Hingis to win three Grand Slam championships. She is scheduled to retire from tennis following a tournament in Dubai next month, where she has resided for more than a decade and just opened a tennis academy.