Trailblazing Indian tennis star Sania Mirza capped off her glorious Grand Slam career with a runners-up finish alongside ‘best friend’ Rohan Bopanna in the Australian Open mixed doubles final on Friday.
Pairing up with her first-ever mixed doubles partner Bopanna, the unseeded Indian duo went down 6-7(2) 2-6 to the Brazilian pair of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Mataos in the final at the Rod Laver Arena.
Best wishes continue to pour in for the 36-year-old, who earlier announced that the WTA event in Dubai next month will be her swansong. In an heartwarming message, women wrestler Vinesh Phogat wrote, “Thank you,@MirzaSania for teaching an entire generation of young Indian girls how to dream, I was one of them. You have always played with enormous passion throughout the challenges. Your legacy means a lot to Indian sportswomen. Respect and congratulations!!! ✊🙌🇮🇳.”
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar took to Twitter to convey his wished for Sania and wrote,” Many congratulations on a glorious career at the Grand Slam @MirzaSania.You have inspired a whole generation of tennis talent in India & beyond. Wishing you the best of everything in life. You have made 🇮🇳 proud. Well played!”
Many congratulations on a glorious career at the Grand Slam @MirzaSania. You have inspired a whole generation of tennis talent in India & beyond.
Wishing you the best of everything in life.
You have made 🇮🇳 proud.
Well played! pic.twitter.com/8t3oURMoPS— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 27, 2023
Sports fraternity wishes Sania best in future:
Thank you,@MirzaSania for teaching an entire generation of young Indian girls how to dream, I was one of them. You have always played with enormous passion throughout the challenges. Your legacy means a lot to Indian sportswomen. Respect and congratulations!!! ✊🙌🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/C6ZFhKuKar
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) January 27, 2023
Many congratulations my dear friend @MirzaSania on your glorious career.. you have been an inspiration to a generation- a super achiever that has made every Indian across the globe proud. I wish you only the best for your future endeavours . Much love #SaniaMirza #GOAT𓃵 pic.twitter.com/AywCMsSpQZ
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 27, 2023
Many congratulations my dear friend @MirzaSania on your glorious career.. you have been an inspiration to a generation- a super achiever that has made every Indian across the globe proud. I wish you only the best for your future endeavours . Much love #SaniaMirza #GOAT𓃵 pic.twitter.com/AywCMsSpQZ
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 27, 2023
Many congratulations my dear friend @MirzaSania on your glorious career.. you have been an inspiration to a generation- a super achiever that has made every Indian across the globe proud. I wish you only the best for your future endeavours . Much love #SaniaMirza #GOAT𓃵 pic.twitter.com/AywCMsSpQZ
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 27, 2023
Best wishes @MirzaSania as you bid farewell to your highly successful #GrandSlam career. History of #tennis will be incomplete without you. I am sure your life beyond the Tennis court will be as interesting as your accomplishments in sports.
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 27, 2023
Congratulations on a great career @MirzaSania.. You have been and will continue to be a huge inspiration to millions across the World. Though a victory is always desired, your campaign to reach the final in Oz will be folklore as well.. 👏👏#RohanBopanna #australianopen2023
— W V Raman (@wvraman) January 27, 2023
Dear @MirzaSania, you always showed the world how to play bold. You’ve made the country proud by leaving an incredible mark on the tennis world and inspired generations! 🥹
Thank you for the memories. 🫡#PlayBold #ThankYouSaniaMirza #WomenWhoInspire pic.twitter.com/kGZfIHws1e
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 27, 2023
Congratulations @MirzaSania 👏 What a wonderful career at the very top of the sport. A sporting icon 🙌 https://t.co/9zwPxcnnYq
— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) January 27, 2023
Congratulations @MirzaSania on an amazing journey that has left a mark in history and inspired millions of athletes, and thank you for always making India so proud! Wishing you good luck for your next adventure. pic.twitter.com/LBOaPlx80R
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) January 27, 2023
Congratulations on an amazing career, @MirzaSania! You’ve given your everything to tennis and to women’s sports. It’s an iconic legacy indeed. It was always a pleasure to watch you play & watch you become the champion that you are. Best wishes for your future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/iUFygrt4D4
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) January 27, 2023