Have plan to retire at WTA 1000 in Dubai in February, confirms Sania Mirza

Former doubles No.1 Sania Mirza has confirmed her plans to retire from professional tennis at Dubai Tennis Championships, a WTA 1000 event, which begins on February 19.

The 36-year old Mirza initially intended to hang up her racquet at the end of last season, but an elbow injury ruled her out of the US Open and forced her to end 2022 as early as August.

A six-time major champion - three in doubles and three in mixed doubles - Mirza has signed up to compete in this month's Australian Open alongside Kazakhstan's Anna Danilina.

The India tennis star who has been living in Dubai for more than a decade, will then look to bid farewell to the sport in the



Emirates, where she has competed for many years in front of her massive fanbase.

Mirza has been dealing with a lingering calf problem but is hoping it won't stop her from saying her goodbyes on the match court.

"I was going to stop right after the WTA Finals, because we were going to make the WTA Finals, but I tore my tendon in my elbow right before the US Open so I had to pull out of everything," Sania told wtatennis.com.

"And honestly, the person that I am, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don't want to be forced out by injury. So I've been training. The plan is to try and retire in Dubai during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships," she added.