Karnataka HC orders stay on Sania's Khel Ratna
Paralympic athlete HN Girisha filed a petition in the Karnataka HC against the recommendation of Sania Mirza for the Khel Ratna. The Olympic silver medalist who also won the bronze at the 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games, was disappointed as he had been overlooked for the award despite his performance. Based on this, the Karnataka High Court has stayed the award for Mirza.
Sania Mirza, the Indian professional tennis player was born on 15 November 1986. Mirza started playing tennis at the age of six, trained by her father and turned professional in 2003. From 2003 till 2013 (her single's retirement), she was ranked by the WTA as India's No.1 player, in singles as well as doubles. On 12 April 2010, she married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
Sania Mirza's success story began with ITF Manila 2, where she won the doubles with partner Radhika Tulpule in 2002. In 2003 Wimbledon Championships Juniors Doubles, she became the youngest and first Indian woman who has won a junior Grand Slam title and repeated a similar feat with the WTA title in 2004. That same year she was conferred the Arjuna award in 2004.
Sania Mirza was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award for her contribution to tennis on the eve of the Republic Day on 25 January 2006. At 19, she was chosen for this honour for her phenomenal progress in women's tennis achieved by reaching the 3rd round of Australian Open in 2005. Sania Mirza was ranked world no. 32 when the honour was announced.
On 22 March 2006, Sania Mirza won the WTA Newcomer of the Year 2005 award for her splendid last season. Her Hyderabad Open victory and achieving her career-best ranking of 31 (163 at the start of the year) won her the award. The award was given to her at the second annual joint ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA awards ceremony in Miami, Florida.
Sania Mirza made history by becoming India's 1st female tennis player to achieve the world number 1 rank in doubles. This feat came after she partnered with Martina Hingis to record a win at the WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston. This was Sania's 3rd successive title win with Hingis. Since March, the duo had been unstoppable and had not lost any match.
Sania Mirza has been recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Justice V K Bali - retired Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court recommended Sania for the prestigious award. She beat discus thrower Vikas Gowda, badminton player PV Sindhu, squash player Deepika Pallikal, track and field star Tintu Luka and hockey captain Sardar Singh for the award.
Sania Mirza is the only other tennis player after Leander Paes to be named for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. The award was conferred on him in 1996 after his bronze win at the Atlanta Olympics.
