Tennis star Sania Mirza on Monday became the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award for her successful return to the court post-motherhood.
Overwhelming favourite
Sania won the award for Asia/Oceania zone after securing more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 online votes cast for this year’s three regional Group I nominees.
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Sania, who made a comeback to Fed Cup after four years and helped India qualify for the play-offs for the first time in history, has decided to donate the $2000 prize money to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
“It’s an honour to win the Fed Cup Heart Award as the first Indian.
“I dedicate this award to the entire country and to all my fans and thank everyone for voting for me.
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“I hope to bring more laurels to the country in the future,” she said in a statement.
The award is an International Tennis Federation initiative to recognise those Fed Cup players who represent their countries with distinction, show exceptional courage on court and demonstrate outstanding commitment to the ideals of the competition.