Wimbledon: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza’s final Wimbledon appearance ended in disappointment here Thursday. Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Lucie Hradecka were eliminated in the opening round. The Polish-Brazilian combination of Magdalena Frech and Beatroz Haddad Maia beat Sania and Lucie 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a hard-fought three-setter.
Sania would have ideally preferred to last a bit longer in her swansong at the SW-19. However, she will undoubtedly remember the hallowed lawns where she won her maiden doubles title alongside Martina Hingis, back in 2015.
The 35-year-old Indian veteran failed to get past the third round of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon last year. This year Sania still has a shot at glory, partnering Mate Pavic of Croatia in the mixed doubles event. The duo will meet Natela Dzalamidze and David Vega Hernandez in the opening round of mixed doubles.
Sania had earlier announced that 2022 will be her last year in professional tennis as she would like to concentrate on family life. Also for the past couple of years, Sania has been plagued with injuries and had been forced to stay away from the tennis courts. She had said that her body cannot take the rigours of professional tennis anymore.