Official: Sania Mirza finally calls time on illustrious career; WTA Dubai 1000 to be last event in February

India’s ace tennis star and multiple-time doubles major winner Sania Mirza will officially hang her racket in February as she called time on her trophy-laden illustrious career. The upcoming Dubai WTA 1000 will be 36-year-old Mirza’s final tournament as she bids farewell to the game. Sania won six doubles major titles and was India’s top-seeded player for almost two decades, she also won the 2010 Commonwealth Games Silver medal in Women’s singles.

Sania comments on Retirement plans

"I was going to stop right after the WTA Finals because we were going to make the WTA Finals, but I tore my tendon in my elbow right before U.S. Open, so I had to pull out of everything," Mirza told the WTA Tour's website in an interview published on Friday.

"Honestly, the person that I am, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don't want to be forced out by injury. So I've been training," she added.

Sania has pulled out of the US Open doubles event due to an injury that she had sustained in Canada, a development which led to a change in her retirement plans. Sania said in an Instagram post that she had injured herself during the Canadian Open in Toronto this month and the scans showed a torn tendon.

"Hi guys, a quick update. I just have some not so great news. I hurt my forearm/elbow while playing in Canada two weeks ago and obviously didn't realise how bad it was until got my scans yesterday and unfortunately I have in fact torn a little bit of my tendon," Sania said in the Instagram post in August.

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Sania’s earlier retirement plans

Sania, who had earlier expressed her intention to call it quits towards the end of the 2022 season, said she will change her retirement plans.

"This isn't ideal and is terrible timing and it will change some of my retirement plans but I will keep you all posted," she said.

After reaching the semifinals of the women's doubles event in Toronto with Madison Keys, Sania also played at the Cincinnati Open. Sania won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open women's doubles crown once each, besides winning one title each in the Australian Open, French Open and US Open mixed doubles.