Sania Mirza on competing in her 4th Olympics: it is a matter of great pride for me

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza said she is very proud to be preparing for her fourth Olympic appearance at the age of 34, adding that at the beginning of her career, she could only dream about it. Sania noted that participation in the Olympic Games is what every athlete dreams of, and she was happy to fly to Tokyo to take part in her fourth Olympic Games.

Sania Mirza is all set to become the first Indian woman to feature in four Olympic Games when she takes to the court in the women’s event in Tokyo after qualifying for the showpiece event via her protected ranking. After giving birth to her first child, Izhaan, in 2018, Sania Mirza made a winning comeback in January last year as she won the Hobart International WTA event.

“Playing at the Olympics is something that any athlete only dreams of. To be able to play four of them is something that I could have only dreamt of at the beginning of my career. So it is a matter of great pride,” Sania Mirza told India Today Consulting Editor, Sports, Boria Majumdar in an interview while travelling to Tokyo.

Sania Mirza had lost out on her maiden Olympic medal by a whisker five years ago in the 2016 Rio Games when she crashed out of the mixed doubles bronze medal match with Rohan Bopanna.

“If somebody had told me at the last Olympics that I’ll have another shot at it, I would have laughed it off,” Mirza further added.

Sania Mirza will be partnering with Olympic debutant Ankita Raina in women’s doubles.