Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, who ended her illustrious career last month, took to Twitter to share an inspiring letter she received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sania, who remains one of the country’s most decorated sportswomen, thanked Prime Minister Modi for her gesture and vowed to continue to make India proud no matter what she does next. In the letter, Prime Minister Modi called Sania a ‘champion’, saying the tennis star “left an indelible mark on Indian sports, inspiring the next generation of athletes.”
“I would like to thank the Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji for such kind and inspiring words. I have always taken pride in representing our country to the best of my ability and will continue to do everything I can to make India proud. Thank you for your support,” he tweeted. Sania.
In the letter, PM Modi wrote:“Tennis lovers will find it hard to understand that you will not be playing professionally from now on. But throughout your career as one of India’s greatest tennis players, you have left an indelible mark on Indian sports, inspiring the next generation of athletes.
When she announced a “Life Update” on January 13, she beautifully expressed her journey from a six-year-old girl who literally had to fight her way onto the courts to a world-class tennis player in the years that followed. You wrote about how the greatest honor for you has been to win medals for India. I can say that you are the pride of India, whose. success has filled the hearts and minds of all Indians with the utmost joy.
In his excellence, the world got a glimpse of India’s sporting prowess. When you started playing, the tennis scene in India was very different. What you did was illustrate that more women can take up tennis and excel at it. But, beyond that, her success also gave strength to several other women who wanted to pursue a career in sports, but for whatever reason hesitated to do so. They were motivated by their success and were able to make a mark in sports. In one of your interviews, you said: “Even if I have inspired a girl, a mother, a son to dare to dream, then I believe that my work has been fulfilled for what they put me here.” Rest assured that you have more than fulfilled this noble and selfless goal.
You gave the people of India much to rejoice about. Your early success at Wimbledon as a junior player showed that you were going to be a force to be reckoned with. Likewise, your triumphs in subsequent Grand Slam tournaments, whether it be Women’s Doubles or Mixed Doubles, demonstrated your skill and passion for the game. That you won in so many doubles events also shows your temperament towards teamwork, which is an essential learning of the sport.
Due to twists of fate, you had to deal with injuries, but these setbacks only strengthened your resolve and you overcame these challenges with flying colors.
I would also like to thank your parents for giving you as much support as possible to play. They have not only nurtured you to become a great player, but they have also instilled in you strong values, something that can be seen in your various post-game speeches, in which you display the utmost humility and sportsmanship.
May you spend the next few years pursuing your other hobbies. I am sure we will continue to see more of you, particularly in mentoring young sports talent. I also hope that you can spend more quality time with Izhaan.
Thank you once again for all you have done for India and best wishes for your future endeavors.”
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