The incredible career and life of Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis legend

Sania Mirza is arguably the greatest Indian tennis player of all time. She has written her country's history in doubles and singles, and reached the absolute pinnacle of the game.

India is not the biggest tennis nation in the world, but during her career, Mirza has done everything to change that. Let's look back at the tennis legend's career and what she has been up to after that.

Under the guidance of her father, Mirza turned professional in 2003, after having made her debut as a 15-year-old in the ITF circuit in 2001.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Not long after, in 2005, she experienced the highlight of her singles career when she claimed the title in Hyderabad, in front of her home crowd. It was a historical moment for Indian tennis, as she was the first Indian woman to claim a WTA Tour title. She was also named WTA Newcomer of the Year that same year.

However, Mirza had much more success in doubles and mixed doubles, where she won 43 and 3 titles respectively. Impressive.

Of those titles, six were at Grand Slams: three in doubles and three in mixed doubles. She also reached the world No. 1 position in doubles in 2015, another historical feat.

Picture credit: screenshot Instagram, @mirzasaniar

During her career, Mirza partnered up with several talented players, including Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Swiss icon Martina Hingis (pictured), with whom she won several Grand Slams.

Mirza's success not only made her famous, but also gave her financial freedom. According to wtatennis.com, she earned $7,265,246 during her career, which lasted until February 2023.

Her outstanding performances on the tennis court made her an Indian celebrity, with currently 13.1 million followers (and counting) on Instagram.

Picture credit: screenshot Instagram, @mirzasaniar

Away from the courts, Mirza got engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza in 2009. However, they broke up, and she married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in April 2010, with whom she has a son.

Picture credit: screenshot Instagram, @mirzasaniar

After her active playing career, Mirza has been involved in several things. She owns her own tennis academy, has worked as a tennis commentator and is a South Asia UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador. She also owns properties in Hyderabad and Dubai.

Picture credit: screenshot Instagram, @saniamirzatennisacademy