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Sania Mirza will partner with Ankita Raina at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Raina, India's current No. 1 ranked singles & doubles player, was announced as Mirza's partner in the women's doubles event for the mega-quadrenniel event which begins on July 23 in Japan.
In a message posted on the social media accounts of ONGC (where she is an officer), Raina said she was honored to be selected to represent India at the Olympics with Mirza. She is currently ranked No. 95 in doubles and No. 183 in singles.
Sania Mirza is ranked No. 161 in doubles but has a protected ranking of No. 9. That guarantees her an automatic entry as a top 10 doubles player into the women's doubles event in Tokyo, as long as her partner is ranked within the top 300.
Sania Mirza back to practice courts and will play the grass court season
Sania Mirza returned to regular tennis last January but has had to sit out a few tournaments in the middle due to various reasons. Mirza is scheduled to play the grass court season in the coming weeks. The 34-year-old has been posting videos of her practice sessions on social media in recent weeks.
Sania Mirza publicly thanked India's Sports Minister, Kiren Rijuju, the Indian Embassies of the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, the Sports Authority of India, and the British government for helping her son and sister get visas that would enable them to travel with her for the tournaments in the United Kingdom.
Mirza is a former doubles world No. 1 in doubles and a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion. She has yet to win an Olympic medal and reached the mixed doubles bronze medal play-off with Rohan Bopanna at the 2016 Rio Games. Mirza has often stated that competing in Tokyo remains one of her biggest priorities.
Raina, who practiced with Mirza in Dubai earlier this year, will be playing her first ever Olympics. She is already in London where she is competing in this week's Nottingham Open. The 28-year-old qualified for the singles main draw but was knocked out in the first round by American Caty McNally in straight sets on Monday. She is partnering with Julia Wachaczyk at the women's doubles event there.
