Made it too soon: Sania Mirza 'regretting' her retirement announcement

Mirza’s swansong appearance at the Australian Open ended with a quarterfinal loss

India's Sania Mirza hits a return as she plays with partner Rajeev Ram of the US against Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic and Nikola Cacic during their mixed doubles match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2022. (Photo: AFP)

By PTI

Published: Wed 26 Jan 2022, 6:56 AM

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, who recently announced that 2022 would be her last season, says she had made the announcement too soon and was “regretting” it since she was being asked about it all the time.

Mirza’s swansong appearance at the Australian Open ended with a quarterfinal loss to local pair Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler in the mixed doubles event here.

“I am not actually thinking about that at every match to be honest, I think that I made the announcement too soon to be very honest, I am kind of regretting it because that’s all I am being asked right now,” Mirza said when asked whether her outlook towards tennis and the Tour has changed considering it was her last season.

The 35-year-old, who is India’s most accomplished woman tennis player, having won six Grand Slam titles, including three mixed doubles trophies, was speaking on “Extraaa Serve’ on Sony Sports Network.

Mirza, who hails from Hyderabad, maintained that she plays tennis to win matches.

“I am playing tennis to win matches and until I play, I am going to try and win every match I play, so it (retirement) is not something that is on my mind constantly.

“I enjoy playing tennis, I have always enjoyed it, win or lose, and I still have the same outlook to it, I give my 100 (per cent), sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but I am still in it 100 per cent for the rest of the year and I don’t want to really think about what’s going to happen at the end of the year….,” elaborated Mirza.

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On the game, which she and Ram lost, Sania said that it wasn’t the best of their matches.

“It happens, you don’t have a great day once in a while and it is unfortunate when it happens in a (Grand) Slam.

“But I guess we were not able to string it together, both of us and in the end, we were in it in the second set but we didn’t take our chances and that’s it, at least I could have played better, but that’s how it goes, it happens sometimes,” said Mirza.

Mirza on January 19 had announced that she will hang up her racquet at the end of 2022 season as her body was “wearing down” and the motivation and energy for everyday grind was not the same anymore.

She had made the retirement announcement after losing the Australian Open women’s doubles first round with partner Nadiia Kichenok. They lost to Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan.