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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli landed in Sania Mirza’s hometown of Hyderabad to celebrate the Indian tennis icon as her career nears its conclusion.
Sania Mirza played the final match of her career – a doubles fixture alongside American Madison Keys - at the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships. With the match, the Indian tennis player drew the curtain on a history-making career.
To bid a final goodbye to the sport, Mirza is gracing the court at the LB Tennis Stadium in her hometown of Hyderabad on Sunday (March 5). Joining her in the last hurrah are her colleagues Rohan Bopanna, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Ivan Dodig, Marion Bartoli and Cara Black.
On Saturday (March 4), Marion Bartoli revealed on her social media that she had reached Hyderabad to support her dear friend of 20 years. She reminisced about their long-standing friendship.
“Made it to Hyderabad for @mirzasaniar farewell match!! 20 years of friendship and we came a long way baby,” 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli wrote on her Instagram.
Similarly, Bethanie Mattek-Sands expressed her excitement about being by Sania Mirza’s side as she took her leave from tennis at the Game Set Celebrate event.
“BIG day today for my @mirzasaniar,” Mattek-Sands wrote.
With the special event now underway, Mirza will be seen playing a mixed-doubles exhibition match alongside longtime doubles partner Bopanna. The 36-year-old will face off against two of her other career partners, Mattek-Sands and Dodig.
Several celebrities including Farah Khan, Huma Qureshi and former cricketer Yuvraj Singh will be seen cheering the tennis player on at the event.
A brief look at Sania Mirza's tennis career
Sania Mirza has earned many accolades throughout her career. Till date, Mirza remains the only women’s tennis player from India to break inside the top 100 of the WTA singles rankings, with a career-high of World No. 27.
She lifted one singles tour title in her career, but her best results came in doubles where she clinched 43 titles, including three Grand Slams. She additionally bagged three Grand Slam trophies in mixed doubles. Sania Mirza’s plethora of achievements also include being ranked the World No. 1 in doubles for a staggering 91 weeks.
“I always wanted to play and show my appreciation by playing my final match in front of my home audience in Hyderabad. Coming full circle at the beginning has been a personal fairy tale,” Mirza said ahead of her farewell event, as per the newsmeter.
“I hope my journey and experience will encourage and inspire athletes worldwide to pursue their dreams and work hard to attain their objectives,” she added.
