Sania Mirza Reveals She had Plans to Quit Tennis in 2010
Sania Mirza is not giving up yet. She wants to be world No. 1 in doubles ranking and also has her eyes on the 2016 Rio Olympics. The tennis star therefore says she has no time for 'silly politicians' who had previously called her 'non-Indian.'
Sania Mirza revealed on Tuesday that she had planned to retire from tennis in 2010. The 27-year-old, however, said that she is currently playing the "best tennis ever" and that she is past recent political remarks which questioned her patriotism. Sania won the WTA Finals in Singapore with her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black.
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad on Tuesday, the veteran doubles player said that while thoughts of hanging up her boots had crossed her mind, she is glad to have chosen against it. (Sania dedicates WTA triumph to "My India")
"In 2010, I thought I was going to retire. And here I am in 2014, playing the best tennis of my life," she said. "You never know what's going to happen in an athlete's life. Hopefully, I can get to my goal of becoming No. 1 next year and keep this form going. My present is good and I don't live in the past. I did get a bit emotional earlier when my patriotism was questioned but there are a few silly people out there that we must ignore." (Sania dedicates WTA triumph to "My India")
Sania returned home on Monday to a grand reception at the Hyderabad airport. Hundreds of fans welcomed her after her success in Singapore - a result of consistent hard-work.
"I have realised that miracles do happen but there is no secret to success. You just have to work and work harder all the time," she said. "Tennis is a great game and it gives us many chances to fight."
Dedicating her fight and WTA win to "My India," Sania thanked her well-wishers and said she was especially grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating her.
"He is an extremely dynamic personality, a great leader," Sania said. "I have met him twice now and he has tweeted to me a few times which is very exciting. Every time I win, he is extremely encouraging." (Read more)
While Modi had tweeted his wishes after Sania's memorable win, the player too had thanked him through social media.
"Except me, I read about pretty much everybody. I am very up-to-date, just log onto the social media and you get to know about the whole world. So, it is not hard at all," said Sania, who will take a couple of weeks off and oversee her tennis academy.