The arms won't flash!

Sania Mirza's decision to quit tennis at the end of the 2022 season has saddened millions of fans the world over. Quite often, professional athletes get the timing of their retirement wrong. In the case of the 35-year-old Hyderabadi, she has chosen to call it quits even though she is still a solid doubles player.

Passion, poise and purpose have been the hallmarks of Sania's illustrious career spanning over 25 years. From the time she competed in age group tournaments as a kid in small cities in India, driven around by her father Imran and mother Nasima in an Ambassador car, Sania has been special.

Having seen the Super Mom play extensively in India and at the Grand Slams — Wimbledon and Australian Open — there is no doubt it is impossible to find another Sania.

Indian tennis is a story of athletes rising through their own efforts, from the Krishnan (Ramanathan and Ramesh) to the Amritraj era (Vijay and Anand). Quite often, people ask why Sania is described as a pathbreaker?

Yes, before her, Nirupama Mankad and Nirupama Vaidyanathan dared to dream and won a round or so at the Slams. But Sania is the one who showed that it is possible to go deep into draws and win against all odds, with her pinnacle being a career-high singles ranking of 27 on the WTA computer. That she was being noticed by the world is an understatement.

Sania's laser sharp forehand which, even today, flummoxes rivals, has been her strength. Yet, where she was a bit unlucky was in her body suffering injuries because of wear and tear on fast, hard surfaces. Modern tennis is demanding. The body takes a humongous beating and Sania was distinctly unlucky as she had to deal with wrist, ankle and a few more injuries. At one time in 2008, after her wrist surgery, it seemed her career could well be over but she did not give up.

From the time Sania won the Wimbledon junior girls doubles crown in 2003 with Alisa Kleybanova, it became clear that the teenager had a huge potential in doubles as well. I was fortunate to witness that spectacle in London, from whereon her star stature grew. But the real challenge for Sania has been in singles.

In 2004 and 2005, her peak years in singles, when Sania was competing on the WTA Tour, she was feared. That she beat big players like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Victoira Azarenka and also Martina Hingis showed she was not afraid of taking on the big players. And when she played at the Hyderabad Open during this period, she had become a superstar with the stadium reverberating to chants of her name. There was a bit of more fun as well, when once legend Martina Navratilova played doubles with Sania in Hyderabad. Martina was amazed that the Indian had such a huge fan following and could bring down the roof!

Fame and fortune, good results and rising up the ladder brought Sania under intense scrutiny. In fact, no Indian athlete deserves to be put under such kind of a watch where their privacy is intruded. Sania could never have a normal life as in walking to a shop near her house or a mall. She would be mobbed. It may have felt good early on to sign autographs, but not on a daily basis.

For the Western world, where tennis writers like to probe an athlete even further, Sania being a Muslim was a great topic of discussion. Sania answered all those questions with great maturity, even though most revolved around her religion, coming from India, and not tennis. A stage had come when the interview moderators had to be present at the Grand Slams to ensure the questions were related to just tennis.

The way the Indian diva took the world by storm, with her superb showing at the US Open in 2005, where she reached the round of 16, was captured for posterity by television. She did lose to Maria Sharapova in the fourth round but there was no dearth of intent. One more memorable match was Sania taking on Serena Williams at the Australian Open. There, too, Sania was the epitome of composure, ready to play as freely as she would against any other opponent.

Once Sania had to give up singles, her success in doubles became the talking point. Her partnership with Martina Hingis was phenomenal, be it in the WTA Tour or at the Grand Slams. Perhaps, after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, she had become the biggest celebrity in Indian tennis.

When Sania decided to get married to Shoaib Malik in Hyderabad in April 2010, she realised what price one has to pay for stardom. The prying TV channels were camping outside her residence in Hyderabad, as one would for a Bollywood star. Sania has never been less popular than any cine star but to be subjected to such torture was unnecessary. After all, at the end of the day, an athlete also wants to lead a normal life.

Did Sania achieve everything she wanted? Well, she won six Grand Slam titles, two of them with Mahesh Bhupathi in mixed doubles. She could have been a strong contender in the 2012 London Olympics as well if she had been paired with Mahesh. Sadly, the unprofessional All India Tennis Association never gave her the choice and she was forced to play with Leander. Four years later, Sania and Rohan Bopanna lost the bronze medal playoff at the Rio Olympics. It was heartbreak for both the players and the entire nation.

When Sania took a maternity break and son Izhaan arrived, many thought her career was over. It is to Sania's credit that she came back with great effort. Shedding over 25 kg weight, adjusting to the rigours of physical conditioning and starting tennis all over again must not have been easy.

Credit for this goes to Sania as well as her family, and the roles played by her parents, sister Anam and husband Shoaib Malik. For a mom to be playing professional tennis was not easy. The son needed to be attended to. And once the Covid-19 pandemic started, it made matters worse. At a time when many athletes are struggling with the virus even now, Sania was brave enough to play again. To say that the risk is less today is wrong. Overseas travel with a young son is not easy, more so when he is not vaccinated. This was definitely a factor for Sania to announce at the Australian Open this will be her last year on the circuit.

People are still struggling to come to terms with the reality of not seeing Sania flashing forehand again. No Indian woman tennis player ever had such a strong shot, which was a sure winner. For me, her patent inside-out forehand is a shot which will keep reminding me how much more she could have won in singles, if not for injuries.

Post retirement, athletes have even more to do. Sania has been a fantastic role model all throughout her life. She showed how important it was to chip in when the pandemic started in 2020, raising funds and distributing dry rations. All this was from her heart and not for gathering attention. It is this facet of Sania which marks her out as a wonderful human being.

She is a Super Mom. Next, she can be a super TV commentator, great tennis analyst, journalist and even a writer. Her celebrity quotient and radiant smile will be there even away from the tennis courts. Having known her for over 25 years, it can be said that she will go on to become the best in any aspect of life. For someone so driven like Sania, she is not going to settle for a sedentary lifestyle.

Be it Hyderabad or Dubai — her home away from home — Sania has so much more to offer to the world. As one blessed with immense oratory skills, she can be the next motivational speaker. What she has given to India as a star athlete is of Mount Everest proportion. I will not be surprised if she evolves in many more ways post-retirement like other celebrity athletes. Who knows, she may make a foray into coaching or even become a mind trainer. The possibilities are endless.

Good luck Sania. Even as you leave the tennis courts at the end of 2022, most fans, including me, rub our moist eyes. Thanks for the memories.

Views expressed are personal