Sania Mirza arrives at Wimbledon ‘in a different role’

Sania Mirza arrives at Wimbledon ‘in a different role’

Sania Mirza shows up at Wimbledon "in style"Sania Mirza, a tennis icon from India who recently announced her retirement from competitive play, has unexpectedly returned to Wimbledon. Mirza disclosed that she is back at Wimbledon on Wednesday in an Instagram post, albeit this time she is playing a new role. The post included pictures of her at a tennis court, holding a microphone and an umbrella.

According to First Post, Mirza will be participating in the Ladies Invitational Doubles event at Wimbledon, which began on July 3. She will be partnering with Britain's Johanna Konta in the tournament. They have been placed in Group B, along with renowned players like Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Francesca Schiavone, and Roberta Vinci.

While Mirza makes her return, India's representation at Wimbledon will be limited to Rohan Bopanna in the men's doubles event. Bopanna, aged 43, will be partnering with Matthew Ebden. In their first-round match, they will face Guillermo Duran and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

At the Dubai Open earlier this year, Mirza competed in her 20-year professional career's farewell match. Unfortunately, she lost alongside Madison Keys to the Russian pair Liudmila Samsonova and Veronika Kudermetova with a score of 6-4, 6-0.

As a former doubles world number one and a six-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, Mirza's journey has been an inspiration to countless young tennis enthusiasts in India. However, she acknowledges the challenges that aspiring Indian players face in reaching the highest level of the sport.

Speaking to reporters, Mirza expressed her concerns about the lack of young talent making the transition from college tennis to professional competition. She believes that it will take time for someone to surpass her achievements and reach even greater heights in tennis, perhaps someone who is currently just five or six years old.

At present, the highest-ranked Indian woman in singles is Ankita Raina, aged 30, who is ranked 245th in the world. Karman Thandi is the only other Indian player in the top 300, currently ranked at 265. In doubles, apart from Mirza, there are only two Indian women in the top 200.

Mirza concluded her final press conference with her four-year-old son Izhaan by her side, reflecting on the future of Indian tennis. While she remains uncertain about the immediate prospects of a dominant Indian player at the highest level, Mirza's extraordinary career will continue to inspire generations to come.