Sania Mirza says it is an amazing feeling to be the World No. 5 in women’s doubles, and that she can take pride from the fact that she has have achieved one more major goal in her career on the WTA circuit. This is the best-ever world ranking by any Indian woman tennis player from India.
“I am delighted with this feat. I’ve played some of the best tennis of my life in the last two years, and winning five WTA titles last year was something really special.
“This latest achievement is only due to all the hard work I have put in, in the recent past,” the 27-year-old Sania said in an exclusive interview with The Hindu .
“This was one of the goals I’d set for myself when I stopped playing singles (because of wrist and knee injuries which required surgeries). So, this world ranking is not something that has come easily. Sacrifices had to be made, by me and my parents too. Hats off to them for being part of all the struggles over the years, and for still ensuring that the show goes on,” the two-time Grand Slam winner said.
“This is the best news (achieving a ranking of No. 5) in the last few weeks, given the disappointments Cara (Black) and I have had in some of the majors. Definitely, it is the result of hours of training, lots of travelling, the intense desire to keep improving and, above all, the passion for the sport, which is still the driving force for me,” Sania said. “The World No. 1 ranking is something I am very keen to achieve before I retire. The gap now is a bit too big in terms of points. But, I hope my combination with Cara can do that,” she said.