An 18-year-old Indian woman facing the mighty Serena Williams at the Rod Laver Arena in the third round of a Grand Slam singles event in 2005? That’s absurd. Then, 18 years later, that same player, older and wiser, with her four-year-old son watching from the stands, featuring in a Grand Slam final on that very court. That’s absurd.

“Rod Laver Arena has really been special in my life and I couldn’t think of a better arena to finish my career in a Grand Slam,” said the 36-year-old after finishing as runner-up in mixed doubles at the Australian Open 2023, her last appearance at a Grand Slam.

Sporting journeys don’t necessarily come to a full-circle for athletes and they surely don’t get to have swansongs in places that hold value for them. And they definitely do not always get to do it on their own terms. But Sania Mirza was one of the few who was destined to have a journey like no other in Indian tennis, and do things that nobody else from her country did.

Mirza’s early days

Some individuals are gifted with unique athletic intelligence, some get better with time and some work harder to do justice to that. Mirza belongs to each of those categories and it all started in her early days. She had already been creating waves in the junior national circuit and started featuring at the junior Grand Slams but the real gush came when she began competing on the WTA tour, going on to become the first Indian woman to be among the top 30 in the singles charts, with a career high of 27.

For Nirupama Sanjeev (née Vaidyanathan), the first Indian woman in the Open era to win a main draw singles match at a Grand Slam, that moment was the best news.

“For me, I didn’t dream that high... my goal was just to make the Top 100. When Sania achieved that, we needed to see that in order to believe that we can do it,” Nirupama told Scroll.

“We don’t have a history and so for younger girls and girls who were starting to play tennis, she changed the whole face of Indian tennis in terms of what the girls were even allowed to dream.”

Mirza was still a teen when her name started to come up in conversations. And she became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a singles Major, break into the top 100 singles rankings, and win WTA tour titles in both singles and doubles before her 20th birthday.

Somdev Devvarman, a former India No 1 in men’s singles who reached a career high of 62 and is a two-time ATP tour finalist, had seen her play from her early days and immediately understood she was special.

“I think she knew she was a star when she was 12. She behaved like, not in an obnoxious or boisterous way, she was destined to (be a star) and she was heading there,” Devvarman told Scroll.

“So, no surprise to anyone who grew up with her that she’s a star now. All of us saw it. And when it happened, we were like, ‘Alright, there it is’.”

Another contemporary, Ankita Bhambri, attested that it was down to Mirza’s incredible determination and focus since her early days that ensured a decorated career.

“I think that jump that she made showed real determination, showed the real work that she had put in as a junior playing all those tournaments and working hard on her game,” Bhambri told Scroll. “I think maintaining the discipline and making sure that the passion for this sport remains throughout is what set her apart from the rest of the contemporaries who were playing at that point. I would say that fearlessness on the tennis court irrespective of where she was playing, who she was playing, what the situation and the surroundings were [stood out].”

She added: “Even though she had a social engagement or an activity to attend that night, she would be the first one there at the practice courts the next morning. Never, ever forgot. And I think that that was her attitude and discipline towards the sport that has helped her reach the heights that she has.”

Often, in a crowd, there are a few individuals who possess an aura or presence that separates them from the rest. Mirza had that going for her even in her early days, but none of that would have really mattered had she not had the skills or mental ability to utilise them.

It was that mentality and fortitude that truly made her walk the talk.

The self-belief and grit was on display even during the period when Devvarman was on the same junior team as Mirza when they started to tour. They played a few tournaments on clay and grass, in Halle in Germany, the French Open and finally, Wimbledon, which she ended up winning the junior girls’ doubles event with, partnering with Alisa Kleybanova in 2003.

Devvarman recollected this aspect in an anecdote:

“We were learning a lot but we had no business winning tournaments or being in the competitive play of it at least at that age. And the one thing that stood out with her is she always believed that she was there to win these tournaments. I mean, you could see that we knew that they were better players, we knew that the other players had different kinds of experiences but that self belief in her was always much more prevalent than it was in the rest of us.

“The self confidence, the ability to back herself, even when she failed and to come back and say, ‘I can do this again’... It was stunning the way it happened, because, one after the other, she’s in the quarterfinals of the junior doubles. Then, she’s in the semifinals. And suddenly she’s won it... she’s won the tournament! And before you know it, we’re talking about what kind of gown she’s going to be wearing at the ball where Roger Federer’s there, Serena’s there, the best players in the history of the sport are there and Sania’s like, ‘Yeah, I belong in that room.’

“And then from that point on, it didn’t take long... within a few years, she established herself on the tour. Playing for India was a given because she was that good. When she was that young, she was that good. Everybody knew it. And there were no real challenges. I mean, the second best was really far away. Always was.”

Mirza’s transition to a doubles specialist, the streak of SanTina (the moniker for her partnership with Martina Hingis), becoming the top-ranked duo in women’s doubles was meant to be too. She always had the game but when it came to doubles, she was a natural. It wasn’t just Hingis that she shared great on-court chemistry with, she was a great partner to have in general. Even as a youngster, her discussions with Bhambri often revolved around who the aggressor would be and who would intimidate the opponent more. According to Nirupama, the move from singles was not the end of her career by any standards. In fact, it just went on to prove that an Indian woman can be No 1 in the world in tennis.

Devvarman dissected her doubles expertise, saying, “She was also successful with (Elena) Vesnina, she was successful with Bethanie (Mattek-Sands). She was successful with many players. And so, she had that ability of figuring out what was required with which partner and then adapting her game.”

The weapons

An incredible forehand, the variety on it, the flick angle, being well-versed with the court’s geometry, being aggressive off both flanks, astute game sense, and never say die spirit were the weapons that made her the player she is.

“The weapons are as clear as they are,” explained Devvarman. “But listen, it’s one thing to have weapons and it’s another thing to know how to use them and a lot of the weapons that tennis players possess are things that people can’t see. It’s the courage that you play with. It’s how you face a break-point, it’s how you fight back, when you’re 5-1 down and still believe that you have a chance to do it. It’s how you stand up after losing five matches in a row and say I’m going to be ready for the sixth, I need to turn this around. So those are the kinds of weapons, those are the qualities that sports people require that at the end of the day, ultimately, define you.”

He added: “Because there’s a lot of people with great forehands, a lot of people with great serves, and they don’t accomplish the same things that a lot of players without those weapons have. So her weapons lie in not just the obvious, but also the things that people can’t really quantify.”

Play

In her 22-year-long career, Mirza saw the the ups and downs on court, but life off court was pretty ruthless. With that magnitude of fame, scrutiny is always the unwanted guest that tags along and often ventured into slander and vilification. Whether it was her gender, her religious identity, her choice of partner or her choice of clothing, she had seen a lot thrown at her. Her contemporaries who describe her as extremely self-aware, gutsy yet dignified, believe that her ability to handle it stemmed from the responsibility of knowing what comes with being the kind of legend she became over the years.

“Other people would break down. But I think the way she and her family took it all in their stride is commendable. I think it is something that people today could probably learn from, take inspiration from and she has been able to do that, not just on the court but off the court as well,” said Bhambri.

It is now well-established that what sounded just absurd was just Mirza doing her own thing. And so, she returned to tennis after the birth of her son, Izhaan after a C-section and post-partum complications. She competed at her fourth Olympics at Tokyo 2020. Her best-ever performance in mixed doubles at the Wimbledon, a semifinal finish in the 2021 edition with Croatia’s Mate Pavic, also came post childbirth.

“After being a mother, I can understand how difficult it is to continue this journey. Your heart is constantly torn between two places. You’re always worried about your kid, and if you’re there, then you’re constantly thinking about your career. And I think what she’s already done, and the legacy that she has set is going to be talked about for generations,” said Bhambri.

Mirza’s legacy

What must Indian tennis do, what blueprint must a player follow to replicate or even come close to achieving what the great Sania Mirza has? It was a question that popped into minds when it was still early days and now, even as she hangs her racquet, the question remains. And that makes her farewell somewhat of a solemn affair. Will anybody come close?

Nirupama, for instance, believes that although Mirza has shown the way and been a big reason for why many take up the sport, she is not very hopeful about what the future holds for Indian tennis.

“She broadened belief in Indian women in the sense that there are a lot more people playing tennis. There’s no question about it,” she said. “She popularised the sport, she has actually shown that somebody from a middle ground in India can actually achieve those kinds of heights. She has shown the way. I just don’t know if we will have more of those Sania Mirzas just because there’s so many things that have to come together for somebody to make it that big.”

Meanwhile, another grim reality that Devvarman puts forth is that it is hard to envision or follow a blueprint like hers, since Mirza made it big “despite the system.” According to him, Indian tennis missed out on taking advantage of the fact that she was such a mega star.

“We could have really taken the game to a different level. But I don’t think the ship has sailed yet, I think we can still correct it,” he said. “Now that she’s done, we can be more actively involved to make sure that the game is reaching the right corners, all the corners being accessible and giving an opportunity to find the next Sania Mirza.”

What is also undeniable in discussing Mirza’s legacy, is that her trailblazing career on and off the court wasn’t just about inspiring more tennis players, but also Indian women in sport, in general. As it was evident in the tributes that came her way, more athletes wanted to shine globally because of what she did. More women knew they could stand up for themselves and be respected.

As the tweet from Nikhat Zareen’s handle put it, “Breaking norms and challenging previously unattainable heights. I salute you as a champion who paved the way for many others. You rock, @MirzaSania.”

In her final press conference at a Grand Slam, Mirza donned a snapback with ‘You can’t handle the truth’ printed on it. As she moves to another chapter of her life, one where she can continue doing things on her own terms, giving her son the upbringing, time and attention she wants to provide and taking care of her body after all these years... she leaves a void.

Devvarman pointed out her impact in very uncomplicated terms: “Sania Mirza is one of the very few Indian sportspersons whose name rings a bell in any strata of society.

“Everybody talks about her as an example for the next person who picks up a tennis racket - male or female - or mothers and things like that. But, I firmly believe that her influence has gone way beyond just the sport, way beyond just being a role model.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the truth we must handle.

With reporting inputs from Shahid Judge.