(Web Desk) - Sania Mirza, a former Indian tennis star, recently made an appearance in an interview to talk about her decision to retire, the changes in her life, and the bigger life lessons she has taken away from her remarkable athletic career.
During a thorough and reflective discussion, Mirza revealed details about her personal development and the reasons she decided to give up playing professional tennis.
On retirement, she said “A lot of people asked about my decision to retire. I wanted to stop on the top. It's very important to me.” The sports icon delved further into how her recovery after a strenuous match was not the same anymore. “My body had become a huge problem after three surgeries and a kid as well.
The recovery wouldn’t happen the way it was needed,” she remarked. Despite her successes, the journey wasn't always visible to spectators: “People would see that I was playing finals but they couldn’t see what I had to do to get there.”
On dealing with public scrutiny and criticism she added, “I don’t think I feel that people are after me but I do understand and realise that not everyone can like you in the world. Everyone in your family can’t like you, then how would everyone in the world like you?”
Mirza also revisited her past comments about staying grounded despite fame. “I think the world we live in today, be it social media or as in my case, fame, you have so many people around you telling you nice things. It’s very important that you also have people who tell you the truth.”
For the tennis star, to stay in touch with reality means carrying the full recognition of what’s truly important. “The most important things in life are not money and fame,” she contended. “They are a part of luxury but they are not the most important. What’s most important is who is going to be there for you in your tough times, who are you willing to stand up for.”