Indian tennis star Sania Mirza ended her 20-year-long sports career at the age of 36 on March 5. To mark the occasion, Sania hosted a red carpet farewell party, which was attended by several celebrities and politicians from the country. The long list of A-list guests included composer AR Rahman, actors Huma Qureshi, Mahesh Babu and his wife Namrata Shirodkar, filmmaker Farah Khan, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao, and badminton player Saina Nehwal, among several others.
Sania Mirza, who is a six-time Grand Slam winner, has won 44 Woman Tennis Association (WTA) titles in her career. Her last doubles triumph came at the Ostrava Open2021 in the Czech Republic, where she partnered with China's Zhang Shuai. Sania retired from the sport after the Australian Open earlier this year, where she and her partner Rohan Bopanna finished runners-up in the mixed doubles event.
At the party, film personalities from across industries were seen joining various sports personalities on stage and dancing together. In a video shared by Saina Nehwal, Farah Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza and Irrfan Pathan were seen grooving to the hit song ‘Oo Antava’ from the Allu Arjun starrer Pushpa.
Several celebrities congratulated Sania Mirza for her prolific career and shared pictures from the party. Actor Mahesh Babu posted, “What a journey! So so proud of you Sania Mirza.”
Congratulations @MirzaSania for an amazing career ☺️☺️… pic.twitter.com/kPuE4MNtKo
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) March 5, 2023
Clicked by the legend himself!! Always a pleasure meeting you sir @arrahman! https://t.co/4UeBwM2Udv
— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) March 5, 2023
Telangana minister #KTR , the CP of Hyderabad city #CVAnand attends the Grand Red Carpet Event, the farewell party of Tennis Legend #SaniaMirza .#Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/i0xS3KDNnU
— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) March 5, 2023
Filmmaker Farah Khan shared a picture with Sania after the event with the caption: “So this is what champions do after retirement. Chill in bed with their best friend.”
Meanwhile, actor Ram Charan, who was busy promoting his film RRR for the Oscars in the USA, wrote about Sania and said, “My dearest buddy @MirzaSania … Tennis courts across the world will miss seeing you in action. Your contribution to sports in India is unmatched. You continue to make us proud.”
My dearest buddy @MirzaSania … Tennis courts across the world will miss seeing you in action.
— Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) March 6, 2023
Your contribution to sports in India is unmatched.
You continue to make us proud. pic.twitter.com/PL7fYORECZ
With IANs inputs