| Revision as of 10:36, 30 March 2010 editLashkansas (talk | contribs)6 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 10:39, 30 March 2010 edit undoFavonian (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators287,528 editsm She's Indian as far as I and the article knowNext edit → | ||
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| | playername = Sania Mirza | | playername = Sania Mirza | ||
| | image = ] | | image = ] | ||
| | country = {{ |
| country = {{IND}} | ||
| | residence = ] | | residence = ] | ||
| | datebirth = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|11|15}} | | datebirth = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|11|15}} | ||
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| '''Sania Mirza''' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|ثانیہ مرزا}}}}), born November 15, 1986,<ref name="rg">{{cite web|url=http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta310112.html|title=Sania Mirza profile|accessdate=2009-06-04}}</ref> is an Indian ] player. She started her tennis career in 2003. In 2004 she was awarded the ] by the Indian Government. She is known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. In 2008, she attracted widespread criticism for showing perceived insult towards India's national flag.<ref name="flag" /> | '''Sania Mirza''' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|ثانیہ مرزا}}}}), born November 15, 1986,<ref name="rg">{{cite web|url=http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta310112.html|title=Sania Mirza profile|accessdate=2009-06-04}}</ref> is an Indian ] player. She started her tennis career in 2003. In 2004 she was awarded the ] by the Indian Government. She is known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. In 2008, she attracted widespread criticism for showing perceived insult towards India's national flag.<ref name="flag" /> | ||
| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
| Mirza was born to a sports journalist, Imran Mirza, and her mother Nasima in ], India. She was brought up in ] in a religious ] family.<ref> Sportingo.</ref><ref name=guardiansport/> Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was trained by her father, as well as her other family members. She went to Nasr school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | Mirza was born to a sports journalist, Imran Mirza, and her mother Nasima in ], India. She was brought up in ] in a religious ] family.<ref> Sportingo.</ref><ref name=guardiansport/> Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was trained by her father, as well as her other family members. She went to Nasr school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | ||
Revision as of 10:39, 30 March 2010
 | |
| Country (sports) |  India |
|---|---|
| Residence | Hyderabad, India |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Turned pro | 2003 |
| Plays | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$ 1,561,465 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 219–113 (64.6%) |
| Career titles | 1 WTA, 13 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 27 (August 27, 2007) |
| Current ranking | No. 92 (March 22, 2010) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3r (2005, 2008) |
| French Open | 2r (2007) |
| Wimbledon | 2r (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009) |
| US Open | 4r (2005) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 153–82 |
| Career titles | 8 WTA, 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 18 (September 10, 2007) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2007, 2008) |
| French Open | 3R (2006) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2008) |
| US Open | QF (2007) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2009) |
| French Open | 2R (2007) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2006) |
| US Open | QF (2007) |
| Last updated on: October 19, 2009. | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Tennis | ||
| Asian Games | ||
 |
2006 Doha | Mixed Doubles |
 |
2006 Doha | Singles |
|
2006 Doha | Team |
Sania Mirza (Template:Lang-ur), born November 15, 1986, is an Indian tennis player. She started her tennis career in 2003. In 2004 she was awarded the Arjuna award by the Indian Government. She is known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. In 2008, she attracted widespread criticism for showing perceived insult towards India's national flag.
Early life
Mirza was born to a sports journalist, Imran Mirza, and her mother Nasima in Mumbai, India. She was brought up in Hyderabad in a religious Muslim family. Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was trained by her father, as well as her other family members. She went to Nasr school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College.
Career
In April 2003, Mirza made her debut in the India Fed Cup team, winning all three singles matches. Mirza won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.
Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 18 in doubles. She holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament. Earlier in 2005, she had become the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2005 U.S. Open, defeating Mashona Washington, Maria Elena Camerin and Marion Bartoli. In 2004, she finished runner-up at the Asian Tennis Championship. In winning, with Mahesh Bhupathi, the Mixed Doubles event at the 2009 Australian Open, she became the first Indian woman to win any grand slam event.
In 2005, Mirza reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. On February 12, 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title, defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the Hyderabad Open Finals. As of September 2006, Mirza has notched up three top 10 wins; against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Martina Hingis. At the 2006 Doha Asian Games, Mirza won the silver in the women's singles category and the gold in the mixed doubles partnering Leander Paes. She was also part of the Indian women's team that won the silver in the team event.
In 2006, Mirza was awarded a Padma Shri, India's fourth highest honor for her achievements as a Tennis player.
Mirza had had the best results of her career during the 2007 summer hardcourt season, finishing eighth in the 2007 U.S. Open Series standings. She reached the final of the Bank of the West Classic and won the doubles event with Shahar Pe'er, and reached the quarterfinals of the Tier 1 Acura Classic.
At the 2007 U.S. Open, she reached the third round before losing to Anna Chakvetadze for the third time in recent weeks. She fared much better in the doubles, reaching the quarterfinals in mixed with her partner Mahesh Bhupathi and the quarterfinals in the women's doubles with Bethanie Mattek, including a win over number two seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur.
She represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, in the women's singles and doubles events. In singles, she retired in the round of 64, while she was trailing 1-6, 1-2 against Iveta Benešová of Czech Republic. She teamed up with Sunitha Rao for the doubles event. They got a walk-over in the round of 32, but lost to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina by 4-6, 4-6, in the round of 16.
Mirza received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from MGR Educational and Research Institute University in Chennai on 2008-12-11. Her niece, Sonia Baig Mirza, studies there.
2008
Mirza reached the quarter-finals at Hobart as No. 6 seed. She lost to Flavia Pennetta in three sets. She reached the third round at the Australian Open as No.31 seed, where she lost to No.8 seed Venus Williams 7-6(0) 6-4, having led 5-3 in the first set. She was runner-up in the Australian Open mixed doubles partnering Mahesh Bhupathi. Sun Tiantian and Nenad Zimonjić) won the final 7–6(4), 6–4.
She withdrew from Pattaya City because of a left adductor strain.
Mirza reached the 4r at Indian Wells as No.21 seed, defeating No.9 seed Shahar Pe'er en route, but lost to No.5 seed Daniela Hantuchová.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, as No.32 seed, Mirza was defeated by qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 6-0, 4-6, 9-7, having had several match points.
Mirza was eliminated in the first round of the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she retired in her match against Iveta Benešová because of a right wrist injury. Throughout 2008, Mirza was plagued by a slew of wrist injuries, requiring her to withdraw from several matches and the Roland Garros and US Open Grand Slams.
2009
Mirza picked up her maiden Grand Slam title in the 2009 Australian Open. Partnering with Mahesh Bhupathi, she won the mixed doubles title beating Nathalie Dechy (France) and Andy Ram (Israel) 6-3, 6-1 in the final in Melbourne. She then entered the Pattaya Women's Open Tournament in Bangkok where she reached the finals after a string of good performances. She lost the finals to Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-1. She made the semis in doubles in the same tournament.
Mirza then competed in the BNP Paribas Open where she lost in the second round to Flavia Pennetta. She then participated in the Miami Masters and lost to Mathilde Johansson of France in the first round. Mirza and her doubles partner Chia-jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei made the semifinals of the doubles event. Mirza lost in the first round of the MPS Group Championships but won the doubles title with Chuang. She lost in the first round at Roland Garros, losing to Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva. She also lost in the second round of the doubles (with Chuang) and mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi). She participated in the 2009 AEGON Classic and reached the semifinals, losing to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 3-6,6-0,6-3, who eventually won the title.
Mirza defeated Anna-Lena Gronefeld in the first round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. She then fell to #28 Sorana Cirstea in the second round. She competed in and won the Lexington Challenger event, defeating top seed Julie Coin of France in the final. She also reached the final of the ITF event in Vancouver but lost to Stephanie Dubois of Canada. Playing in the U.S Open, she defeated Olga Govortsova in the first round but lost 6-0, 6-0 to 10th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy. She also lost in the second round of the doubles event (partnering Francesca Schiavone) to Shahar Peer and Gisela Dulko.
Mirza successfully qualified for the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo but lost in the first round to Zheng Jie. Mirza won the first set but could not hold the lead, eventually losing to the tough Chinese player 7-5, 2-6, 3-6.
At Osaka, Mirza qualified won her first round match against 5th seed Shahar Peer 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Mirza then defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-4, 6-3 and in quarterfinal she has defeated 2nd seed Marion Bartoli 6-4, 2-0 by retirement. Bartoli conceded her match and Mirza moved on to Semifinal to meet 4th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
Career finals
Singles
Wins (1 WTA/12 ITF)
Has reached 5 finals; winning 1 at the 2005 Hyderabad Open.
Doubles
Wins (12)
| Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments (0) | |
| WTA Championships (0) | |
| Tier I (0) | Premier Mandatory (0) |
| Tier II (2) | Premier 5 (0) |
| Tier III (3) | Premier (0) |
| Tier IV & V (2) | International (1) |
| ITF Circuit (4) | |
Mixed Doubles (1)
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score/Final |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Mahesh Bhupathi |
 Nathalie Dechy Andy Ram |
6–3, 6–1 |
Singles performance timeline
Template:Performance timeline legend
| NM5 | means an event that is neither a Premier Mandatory nor a Premier 5 tournament. | |||
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2009 French Open in Paris, France, which ended June 6, 2009.
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 4 | 7–4 | ||||||
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | 7–3 | ||||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 7–3 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | A | 4R | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 0 / 3 | 6–3 | ||||||
| SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 12 | N/A | ||||||
| Win-Loss | 0–0 | 2–2 | 9–4 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 1-1 | N/A | 21–12 | ||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | A | Not Held | 1R | NH | 0 / 1 | 4–2 | ||||||||
| Year-End Championship | ||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | 4R | SF | A | 4R | 0 / 2 | 10–3 | ||||||
| Miami | A | A | 2R | QF | A | QF | 0 / 3 | 8–3 | ||||||
| Madrid | Not Held | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | ||||||||||
| Beijing | Not Tier I | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||||||
| WTA Premier 5 Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Dubai | Not Tier I | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | ||||||
| Cincinnati | Not Tier I | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||||||
| Montreal/Toronto | A | 3R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||||||
| Tokyo | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Former WTA Tier I Tournaments (currently neither Premier Mandatory nor Premier 5 events) | ||||||||||||||
| Charleston | A | A | A | 3R | A | NM5 | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | ||||||
| Moscow | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||
| Doha | Not Tier I | SF | Not Held |
0 / 1 | 4–1 | |||||||||
| Berlin | A | A | SF | 2R | A | 0 / 2 | 5–2 | |||||||
| San Diego | A | A | A | A | Not Held |
0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Zürich | A | A | A | A | Not Tier I |
0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Tournaments Won | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | N/A | 2 | ||||||
| Runner-up | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | N/A | 4 | ||||||
| Overall Win-Loss | 6–1 | 23–14 | 40–21 | 23–13 | 29–15 | 21–10 | N/A | 127–63 | ||||||
| Year End Ranking | 80 | 57 | 21 | 29 | 23 | N/A | N/A | |||||||
- A = did not participate in the tournament
- Q = Qualifying round loss
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-8 (quarter finals up to finalist).
- As of 2008, Doha is a Tier I tournament, replacing San Diego and Zurich.
- If ITF women's circuit participations are included, overall win-loss record stands at 272-89.
Controversy
The short tennis clothes she has to wear in the court has drawn some criticism by Muslim religious groups, Mirza being a practicing Muslim who prays five times a day, and fasts during Ramzan. According to one report published September 8, 2005, an unnamed Muslim scholar had issued a ruling, saying that the women's tennis attire is not suited to Islam. Jamiat-ulema-e-Hind rejected rumors about disrupting her game saying that they don't stop anyone from playing, although they found female tennis players' dress code objectionable. Nevertheless, the Calcutta police tightened security measures to protect her.
After Mirza spoke at a conference on safe sex in November 2005, some groups said "she is detached from Islam" and that she is a "corrupting influence on the youth." Mirza clarified her stance by saying that she was opposed to pre-marital sex.
In 2006, some newspapers reported that Mirza declined from playing with an Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er for fear of protests from India's Muslim community. However, when she teamed up with Pe'er for the 2007 WTA Tour of Stanford, California, there was no reaction.
Mirza was pictured resting her feet and showing her bare soles during a press conference at the 2008 Hopman Cup, with an Indian flag in front. She faced possible prosecution under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after a private citizen complained. Mirza protested that, "I love my country, I wouldn't be playing Hopman Cup otherwise."
On February 4, 2008, Mirza said that she would stop appearing in tennis tournaments held in India, starting with the 2008 Bangalore Open the following month, citing the series of controversies and upon advice by her manager.
Personal life
Sania Mirza was engaged in July 2009 to Sohrab Mirza, a business man from Hyderabad whom she knew from her school days.
On January 28, 2010, it was announced that the Mirza family had called off the engagement. The decision was reported to be mutual, with Mirza citing "incompatibility" as the reason for the split. Mirza's father Imran Mirza claimed that the couple as well as their respective families continue to remain on good terms.
On March 29, 2010, Pakistani media reported that Sania Mirza will wed Shoaib Malik, ex-captain of the Pakistan cricket team in April, 2010. This news was confirmed to the media by Imran Mirza, the father of Sania Mirza Later, Shoaib Malik also confirms on his Twitter page that they will get married in April 2010.
References
- ^ "Sania Mirza profile". Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ "Sania Mirza 'considered quitting'". BBC. January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- The enigma that is Sania Mirza- tennis star and so much more Sportingo.
- ^ Amelia Gentleman (5 February 2006) India's most wanted Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-09-30.
- "Sania Mirza gets Padma Shri". Rediff. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
- http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/12/stories/2008121255701700.htm
- Randeep Ramesh (September 9, 2005). "Fatwa orders Indian tennis star to cover up". London: The Guardian. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ""Protection for Indian tennis star"". BBC News. September 17, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ ""Sania Mirza Indian tennis star refuses to play with Israeli"". 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - "Mirza boycotts Indian tournaments". BBC. February 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
- "India's Mirza finds her love match". London: The Guardian. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- "Sania, Sohrab have been friends for long". Times of India. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- "Sania tied in love-all match, getting engaged to Sohrab". IBN Live. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- Sania Mirza's engagement called off
- It was a mutual decision to call off Sania's engagement: Imran Mirza
- Sania Mirza's engagement called off
- http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=101775
- http://twitter.com/shoaibm6
Sources
- India Today dt. September 19, 2005 - Cover Story titled Sania Mania.
- Sania Mirza gets Padmashri,January 26, 2006
- Sania Mirza Searches for Additional Base
- Sania Mirza Gets a doctorate
| Preceded byTatiana Golovin | WTA Newcomer of the Year 2005 |
Succeeded byAgnieszka Radwańska |
| Women's Tennis Association: Top ten female singles tennis players of countries in the Asian Tennis Federation | |
|---|---|
| as of 7 October 2024 | |
| |
| |
External links
- {{ITF profile}} template using deprecated numeric ID.
- Sania Mirza at the Billie Jean King Cup