"I did play Venus and Serena Williams in doubles, but never in singles"- Sania Mirza on the opponents she regrets not having played against at Wimbledon

Sania Mirza, the pioneer of women's tennis in India, has voiced her regret for not playing either Serena Williams or Venus Williams in a singles match at Wimbledon. While the Indian has competed against the Williams sisters in singles matches, losing each time, she hasn't played against them on the hallowed lawns of SW19.

Mirza has had a fantastic doubles career. After holding the top spot in the WTA doubles rankings in 2015, the 35-year-old, who has won six Grand Slam doubles titles, also became the first Indian to be ranked World No. 1.

Nevertheless, during a recent rapid fire session with Wimbledon, Mirza revealed a lot of information. When asked who she would have liked to play against but never got the chance, she immediately mentioned Serena and Venus Williams.

"Maybe Serena in singles, Venus in singles. I did play them in doubles but never in singles," Mirza said.

Mirza is competing at her last Wimbledon after announcing her retirement following the 2022 US Open.

Despite facing an early-round exit at the Women's Doubles alongside partner Lucie Hradecka, Mirza's campaign is not over yet. On Friday, she and partner Mate Pavic advanced to the second round of mixed doubles with a hard-fought win over David Vega Hernandez and Natela Dzalamidze.

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"It is always special to play here and compete here" - Sania Mirza on Wimbledon

Sania Mirza in action at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Sania Mirza then recalled one of the funniest experiences she had whilst competing at Wimbledon as an 18-year-old. She accidentally dropped the racket and then appeared at a press conference wearing a t-shirt with a particular quote that led people to believe the two incidents were related.

"Well, actually, I don't know if it is the funniest but I played a match on center court when I was 18-years-old and I happened to hit my racket on the floor," Mirza said.

"I got angry and I hit the racket, I got a warning. It was completely by accident that I actually wore a t-shirt to the press conference which said 'Well behaved women rarely make history'. That actually became like I did it intentionally. I have been trying to tell everyone for 20 years like that's not the case," she added.

The 35-year-old also said goodbye to the grass court Major, noting that it was always amazing to be at Wimbledon and that she had one of the most memorable victories of her life at SW19.

"Thank you so much for all the memories," Mirza said. "I have had one of my most special victories here of my life and it is always special to play here and compete here but just to be here."