Indian tennis player Sania Mirza bid farewell to her incredible career with happy tears.

She played in exhibition matches featuring Rohan Bopanna, Yuvraj Singh, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and more at the Lal Bahadur Tennis Stadium in Hyderabad.

“I would like to thank everyone who came to celebrate. I couldn’t have asked for a better farewell. It’s been 20-plus years. A lot of great things in my life started from this stadium here. It has come a long way. It came from a time when nobody believed that tennis was an option. Whether it was a girl or a boy, especially for a girl from Hyderabad. My parents were the only ones who believed in me… my sister and my family,” said Mirza.

It was at this very venue where she made history nearly two decades ago with her WTA singles title triumph, and now it’s where she concludes her path-breaking journey as a player.

She said, “I am going to stop playing tennis. But I will be part of tennis. I am going to be part of Indian sports and sports in Telangana for the rest of my life.”