'Really grateful for the career' - Sania Mirza bids adieu to tennis

Former doubles world number one Sania Mirza said she is "really grateful" for her career and experiences after officially retiring from the sport on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old from India was competing in Dubai, alongside doubles partner Madison Keys, but lost her first-round match to bring her glorious 22-year career to a close.

One of India's most celebrated athletes, Sania turned pro in 2003 before going on to win 43 WTA doubles titles - six of which were Grand Slam titles, and also won the season-ending WTA Finals in successive years, 2014 and 2015 with Cara Black and Martina Hingis, respectively.

She won three of her majors in consecutive tournaments with Swiss legend Martina Hingis.

The duo, nicknamed 'SanTina', took victory at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015, before the Australian Open in January 2016.

Her other three majors came in mixed doubles, two with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in Australia in 2009, and Roland Garros in 2012, before winning the US Open with Brazil's Bruno Soares in 2014.

Mirza was ranked no.1 in doubles for a total of 91 weeks and was the top-ranked Indian in singles for over a decade, peaking at no. 27.

In 2018, she gave birth to son Izhaan and became another woman to successfully return to the sport after maternity leave.