Sania Mirza, India’s most successful woman to wield the tennis racquet, announced in Melbourne on Wednesday that 2022 will be her last season on the WTA tour.

Her father, Imran Mirza, confirmed her decision to The Telegraph after her first-round loss in the women’s doubles at the Australian Open. The 35-year-old Sania, along with Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok, lost to Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan 4-6, 6-7 (5-7).

“I’ve decided that this will be my last season. I’m taking it week by week. Not sure if I can last the season, but I want to,” she said at the post-match news conference in Melbourne.

“There’s a bunch of reasons for it. I do feel my recovery is taking longer and considering my son is three years old, I do feel I am putting him at risk by travelling so much with him. Unfortunately the pandemic is making us take certain decisions for the well-being of ourselves and the family,” Sania said.

“Also, my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older,” she said.

Sania had reached the top spot in the world in doubles in April 2015. She said there were issues that influenced her decision. “Also for me to find that motivation everyday to come out, the energy is not the same anymore. Right this minute, it’s there but there are days where I don’t feel like doing that.

“I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process and not just winning but you have to enjoy the process and I am not sure I’m enjoying it anymore.

“I am enjoying it enough to play this season. I’ve worked very hard to come back, get fit, lose the weight and try to set a good example for mothers, new mothers, to follow their dreams as much as they can.

“Beyond this season, I don’t feel my body doing it. It’s beat,” said the world No. 68 in doubles. Sania, who had reached the top-30 in singles (27 was her career highest) in August 2007, quit playing singles after a wrist injury.

Sania added that she knew that 2022 will be her last season and Wednesday’s defeat was not a trigger for the announcement. “I am playing at a good level. First week in Adelaide (event), we (she and Kichenok) beat top-10, top-20 players. I am playing at a decent level. I was pretty sure this is my last season, if I do finish it. I am sure I am not coming to Melbourne to play the Australian Open again.

“I had great memories here, singles, doubles and mixed doubles. It’s been a great journey. I am not looking forward to June or July, I am literally going week to week, with my body, with virus, there is so much uncertainty. Every time I play, I feel I have a chance to win, that’s why I am here.

“It is not because of disappointment of today’s match. Just the way my body is. I am not sure if I can finish the season. I want to play the full season, I am still (ranked) 50-60 in the world, I do feel I have the level to play.

“As an athlete I feel I can go deep in tournament. But I have a bit of a meniscus issue going on my right knee, I woke up with wrist pain a couple of days ago. There is nothing wrong with it.

“At 35, I am waking up with a couple of things that I don’t know where they're coming from. I want to finish the season, try to play until the US Open, that is my goal. But I still have to take it week by week,” she said.

Talking about her first round match, Sania said the conditions were tough but they could have handled the match better. “Definitely conditions were tough, very gusty, sometimes it’s not about tennis. We should have won the second set.

“But when you come to Australia, you can have days like this when you should charge a little more at the net. That’s where we made a mistake.”

Bopanna loses

India’s Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin lost in three sets to a wild card pair of Chirstopher Rungkat and Treat Huey in the men’s doubles first round in Melbourne on Wednesday.

They began confidently but lost momentum mid-way to lose 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 2-6 in one hour and 48 minutes. Sania and Bopanna, however, are still alive in the first grand slam of the season as they will compete in the mixed doubles.