Sania Mirza

One of the greatest athletes of India, Sania Mirza was born on November 15, 1986 in Mumbai to Imran Mirza and Nasima Mirza. Her father was a sports journalist who shifted his business to priting and finally became a builder. She was drawn to lawn tennis by her father, who used to take her regularly to Nizam Club Hyderabad for practice. Her first coach was CK Bhupati father of legendary Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupati.

Sania’s father was unable to support her expenses so he approached the likes of GVK industries and Adidas for help. They started to sponsor her from the age of 12 year before Imran took over Sania’s full-time coach. She entered competitive tennis in 2001 but turned professional only in 2003. While she could not make a mark for herself in the singles arena, she mastered the doubles art.

She received a Wild Card entry at her hometown WTA event, 2004 Hyderabad Open where she played her debut singles WTA match. Although she lost in the first round, she went on to become the first-ever Indian woman to win a WTA title when she clinched the doubles title at the same event. India’s highest-ranked woman ever in tennis, Sania, was majorly influenced by the legend Stefi Graph and that showed in her style of play.