How Sania Mirza paved the way for young Indian women in sports

Each time a neon tennis ball was struck with her majestic forehand, melodies of legacy echoed. To call Sania Mirza merely an Indian tennis player would be undermining her. Since the early 2000s, Mirza’s hegemony caused a mosaic of emotions in every aspiring Indian athlete—especially women.

Before Mirza went pro in 2003, sports bulletins of that era talked about men and their cricket bats and symbolised their vigour with steel. But all it took was a young teen hailing from the enchanting city of Hyderabad to turn sports for Indian women mainstream.

Mirza went on to remarkably change the dim discourse women were allocated in sports columns and became a light for all those who dreamt of making a mark in sports. 

Breaking in a male-dominated world 

Shortly after Mirza forged her own path, women’s participation in sports peaked. They set their feet, took up space, and ensured they weren’t sidelined. There was a time when naming a handful of female Indian athletes was difficult, but now the entire nation, and people the world over, know of and recognise Saina Nehwal, Deepika Kumari, Vineesh Phogat, Dipa Karmakar, Smriti Mandhana, and PV Sindhu. They are lauded for their mettle and performance on the field. They have become mainstream. Making the game her voice, Mirza normalised Indian women playing sports professionally and bringing laurels home. 

Badgering the barriers 

Mirza marked her first time at Australian Open in 2005, where she played against tennis legend Serena Williams in the final round. In the same year, in April, she claimed the world's no. 1 spot in the women’s doubles and remained in the numero uno spot for 91 weeks. In that one year, she went on from being 200th in the world ranking to cementing her place on the 30th spot globally. Overall, she won 43 doubles titles and as a single player, she ended her career with a 21-26 record at the Majors.

Earlier last month, Mirza announced her retirement from international tennis and played her last Grand Slam at the Australian Open 2023. She reached the finals of the mixed doubles tournament. 

Mirza, through the span of her career, has broken stereotypes and done things on her own terms. Her focus has always been her game. 

An icon to look upto

Soon after Mirza announced her retirement, heartfelt messages started pouring in from sportspersons, Bollywood stars and fans. “Thank you for teaching an entire generation of young girls how to dream, I was one of them,” said Vineesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian Games emphasising Mirza’s influence in her life. Smriti Mandhana called Mirza “An inspiration for many to pick up a sport and champion it.”

Indian tennis coach and former professional player, Nanda Bal, in a recent interview said that Sania Mirza has influenced hundreds of thousands of young kids to take up tennis. Young women in sports can now look up to her as a prominent role model as they move forward in their nascent careers. 

Unconventional—the new convention

 

Everything about Sania Mirza has been unconventional, so to speak. A Muslim girl from Hyderabad, who started playing tennis on courts made of cow dung, became India’s most successful women’s tennis player. While she was recognised for her game world over, closer home she was the subject of controversies and khutbas (sermons) surrounding her ensemble choices—sometimes her skirts, sometimes the length of her sleeves, and other times, her nose ring. But Mirza continued on her path, unabated. She refused to abide by societal norms. She openly spoke about female infanticide, amplified women’s voices, and never gave in. 

“I have an inner rebel in me, and I’m extremely stubborn as a person. Whether it’s after injuries, or after surgeries, I’ve been written off maybe over 30 times in my life in these last 20 years. The last time it happened, I came back and became number one in the world”, she once said. Not only did she carve a path for Indian women in sports, but also disrupted the conventional accords. She drew a portrait for women to look up to.

Pakistani athlete Noorena Shams, who like Sania had khutbas issued against her, shared her experience, “She was the first sports icon I followed as a kid. She will always be my inspiration for never bowing to the misogyny, bigotry and so many obstacles that girls of South Asia face.” Mirza asserted herself and never shied away from challenging society.  

Embracing fallibility  

Though in her majestic career, Mirza took home a total of six doubles Grand Slam titles, claimed the world's no. 1 spot in the women’s doubles, remained in the spot for 91 weeks, claimed 43 doubles titles, and was named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, she has always been okay with just competing. 

Even after tasting defeat she does not dwell and enjoys her ice cream after each match, irrespective of the outcome. She appreciates the accolades and is always okay with just putting in the effort. 

A job well done  

Mirza’s influence in turning young women’s inclination towards sports has been sublime. She has created a roadmap for younger women in sports to come, and conquer. Without Mirza, young Indian women might not have had the blueprint to follow their dreams and mark their presence on the field. 
After her final Grand Slam, when asked what message she’d like to leave for upcoming tennis players, especially young girls from India, she said, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, even if nobody else has done it before.”

She further stated, “I, for one, didn’t really have that role model back home in tennis as a young girl to follow and say, ‘okay, this woman has done it or this girl has done it and I can do it’.” And then with a chuckle, she said, “They have that. They have Sania Mirza.”

“If even one person is inspired by my story, I will feel I have accomplished something,” she had said in one of her initial interviews. Sania Mirza redefined what it meant to be a woman playing sport in India, and she did this when there was no one else to observe. But now every aspiring Indian girl has a Sania to look up to. 

We’ll say a job well done, Sania.