A warrior on and off the court, Sania Mirza gets a fitting Grand Slam farewell

It wouldn't be wrong to say that before the likes of Mary Kom, PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, it was Sania Mirza who was the flag bearer of women's sports in the 21st century.

One of India's brightest stars may have lost the final of her last Grand Slam but it's Sania's journey that defines a woman with nerves of steel.

Winning a Grand Slam is a dream of every tennis aspirant and Sania has 6 doubles titles. But the trophies don't entirely define her.

It hasn't been a cakewalk career for Sania. She didn't have to just battle it out on the court but off it as well. From being criticised for her playing outfits to being questioned for marrying Shoaib Malik across the border, Sania had to deal with it all but boy she broke stereotypes in some style.

After her semi-finals win at the Australian Open, Sania talked about women's sports and said that she hopes parents encourage their young girls to take sport as a career. 'It's not just, Oh, my God, what are you doing going and playing like boys sort of situation. You can actually say you're playing like a girl,' she added.

With almost 11 million followers on Instagram Sania is not just a tennis star but has a big influence on social media as well. To put things in perspective, tennis sensation and world's highest-paid women athlete Naomi Osaka has 2.7 million.

Sania may be a beast in doubles tennis but the Indian great revealed that the most special moment of her career was actually actually a singles match back in 2005 when she came up against Serena Williams, a 3rd-round Australian Open match at the same Melbourne Park.

Even as Sania missed out on the fairytale end to her career, she walked away from the sport as a trailblazer who redefined women's sports in the nation. A true trendsetter, there are many who now dream of walking the same path as her. The legacy will live on forever!

Also read: Aus Open 2023: Heartbreak for Sania Mirza; Stefani & Matos win mixed doubles final