Sania Mirza capped off her glorious Grand Slam career with a runners-up finish alongside Rohan Bopanna in the Australian Open mixed doubles final in Melbourne last week.
The 36-year-old, who earlier announced that the WTA event in Dubai this month will be her swansong, is India's most accomplished woman tennis player, having won six Grand Slam title, including three mixed doubles trophies.
She had won the the mixed doubles titles at the 2009 Australian Open and the 2012 French Open with Mahesh Bhupathi and the 2014 US Open with Brazillian Bruno Soares.
Sania revealed she has no regrets leaving the sport as she is 'not the one to compete when I know I can no longer do it'.
"For me, it is about people telling me why are you stopping rather than when are you stopping. Absolutely I have the game and I can still win tennis matches at the highest level. That is not the point. But what goes in behind staying at this level and competing at this level is an issue. Physically, mentally and emotionally I am no longer capable of handling this. The process is the issue.
In Melbourne, I would spend hours with the physio to be able to go out and compete. What goes in behind your ability to compete is something I can no longer deal with. I am not the one to compete when I know I can no longer do it," said Sania on the Backstage with Boria show.
The Hyderabadi was at her peak when she had to take a maternity break for the birth of her son Izhaan in 2018.
"When I was pregnant, I was a top 10 player. People said I was mad to stop at the time and take a break. But you know there is never a right time. I felt it was the right time. I took a break. But never did I say I will retire. That is because deep down I knew I had tennis left in me.
"Now it is different. Now like I said to you I can no longer deal with the process. As a result, I think it is time to stop. But then I still have two tournaments left. And I am playing with Bethanie (Mattek-Sands) and Madison Keys. They are two of my best friends on tour and I will do all I can to win. That competitive me is still very much there and will be there till I play my last match," the tennis ace added.
