'I will miss you': Sania Mirza gets emotional after final Wimbledon match of tennis career

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza may have suffered a heartbreaking loss in the mixed doubles semi-final at Wimbledon on Wednesday, but she won the hearts of all the fans after a spirited match in her final game at the All England Club. She and her doubles partner Mate Pavić exited the tournament after losing the final four clash to the pairing of Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk by a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 4-6.

Sania Mirza pens emotional note after final match at Wimbledon

Taking to her official Instagram account on July 7, Sania Mirza explained how it had been an honour for her to play at Wimbledon, stating that she would miss her clashes at the All England Club. The 35-year-old also added that while sport takes a lot out of an individual, she will always be grateful for what tennis has given her in return.

While Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam that Mirza has not won in mixed doubles, she did win the trophy alongside Martina Hingis in the women's doubles in 2015. Other than her emotional Instagram post, Mirza also explained in an official interview with Wimbledon's official social media handle that she would miss the grass-court event following her exit in the women's doubles.

On that occasion, the former women's doubles world number one said, "I am going to miss coming and competing at Wimbledon, but I think it is time to move on. And you have to sort of understand that and acknowledge that there are things that take priority over winning tennis matches and competing in tennis matches, and that's where I am in life right now. It's still probably not sinking in as much, maybe the end of the year, maybe US Open if you ask me. I will be a bit more emotional about it."

Sania Mirza's career achievements

Sania Mirza, who had announced that she would hang up her boots at the end of this year, is India's most successful women's doubles player. She is a six-time Grand Slam winner, having won three each in the women's doubles (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open) and mixed doubles (Australian Open, French Open, US Open).