Indian tennis player Sania Mirza on Wednesday (January 19) announced that 2022 will be her final season on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour after her first-round loss in women’s doubles at the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok suffered an opening-round loss in the women’s doubles event of the ongoing Australian Open.
“There’s a few reasons for it. It’s not as simple as ‘okay I’m not going to play’. I do feel my recovery is taking longer, I’m putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down,” the 35-year-old said.
“My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older,” said Mirza on Wednesday.
The tennis star added that it’s difficult for her to find motivation everyday to come out. The energy is not the same anymore.
“There are more days than there used to be where I don’t feel like doing that. I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process which I’m not sure I’m enjoying as much anymore,” the athlete said.
“Having said that, I still want to play the season because I’m enjoying it enough to play the year. I’ve worked very hard to come back, get fit, lose weight and try to set a good example for mothers, new mothers to follow their dreams as much as they can. Beyond this season, I don’t feel my body doing it,” Mirza added
