HYDERABAD: Fighting tears, Sania Mirza emotionally walked into the sunset of her career at the Lal Bahadur Stadium as her family, friends and fans watched her play for one last time here on Sunday.
The Fateh Maidan, as it is famously called, was the very place where Sania learned the nuances of the game and it was here she rocketed to stardom winning the WTA title in 2005.
Perhaps, only few stars can celebrate the retirement like Sania.
The stadium was decked up for the occasion. Not only her dear son and parents but also her former partners Cara Black, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Marion Bartoli, Ivan Dodig and Rohan Bopanna arrived here to play a few games with her for one last time.
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh paired with Bethanie to take on Sania and Rohan. As Union law minister and former sports minister Kiren Rijiju watched from the stands along with Telangana minister KT Rama Rao, sports minister Srinivas Goud, actor Dulquer Salmaan, Mohammed Azharuddin, Huma Qureshi, Diana Penty, Robin Uthappa, Ananya Birla and many others, Sania played three matches.
Later she was felicitated by KT Rama Rao on the court as Rijiju preferred to cheer her from the stands.
An emotional Sania, who made it clear on Saturday that she would prefer a quieter life, said that she is delighted to retire at the very place she started her career.
“I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined in my career, and I am grateful for every moment on the court. I have always wanted to play and express my gratitude by playing my last match in front of my home crowd in Hyderabad,” Sania said.
Bopanna and Dodig enthusiastically participated in the three-hour event.
