Indian tennis sensation Sania visits Dubai Sports Council, plans to open more academies in Dubai

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Many international superstars and top players have made Dubai their second home. They are drawn to the city's lifestyle, glitz, world-class facilities, and safety, of course. Sania Mirza, one of the best tennis players in the world and the most well-known female sports figure in India, is also one of them.

The Indian tennis sensation recently launched two new eponymous tennis centres in Dubai’s Al Mankhool and Jumeirah Lake Towers, symbolizing a brand new chapter in her life.

Sania affirmed that Dubai is the best place to live and invest due to the availability of infrastructure and facilities that are designed to the highest standards in the world.

"The quality of life and the presence of numerous nationalities on the UAE's shores who are leading peaceful lives, inspired me to open a tennis academy in Dubai. I am looking forward to increasing the number of my academies in Dubai," said former Wimbledon doubles champion Sania, who lives in the Emirate Dubai with her cricketer husband Shoaib Malik and her young son.

Sania revealed the plans of opening more academies during her visit to the Dubai Sports Council's headquarters, where she met Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, and Nasser Aman Al Rahma, the Assistant Secretary-General.

During the meeting, the Hareb and tennis star discussed ways of cooperating in the fields of attracting and training talented people and supporting projects that contribute to the development of the sports sector.

"The goal is to try and have tennis centres all over Dubai and the UAE. Now that I live here, I can have a personal touch. I have gotten several offers to start academies in different countries, but it’s not just about business for me. I want to be personally involved," she added.

The most accomplished female tennis player from India said she spent the last year establishing academies in Dubai after doing so in her native nation.

The celebrated Hyderabad-based player went on to win six Grand Slam doubles titles in a glittering career.

But before that, she had played plenty of tennis in India, starting nearly two decades ago, from the junior nationals in Delhi to the National Games and then the WTA tournaments in Hyderabad.

Sania, who began playing tennis when she was six years old, has won six Grand Slam championships, including three in mixed doubles.

She rebuilt herself as a doubles player after wrist problems ended her singles career. In April 2015, she became the first Indian to win the WTA doubles championship.

Sania attributed the players' success in achieving the desired level of development and professionalism and, from there, reaching the podiums with persistence and continuity in training and entering many competitions, as well as the family's support for the players, as it was with her when her family helped her become the first star in India.

The Indian tennis sensation disclosed in a recent interview that she has lived in Dubai for more than ten years.

"We have lived in Dubai for the past 12 years. We can all agree that it's challenging to live anywhere else once you've lived in Dubai.”