"I Went Into Depression": Sania Mirza Remembers 2008 Beijing Olympics

Sania Mirza depression: Tennis player Mirza opened up about her mental health issues and depression after she had to withdraw from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She said that “I went into depression for 3-4 months after that, I remember crying for no reason.”

In the first round of the Beijing Olympics, Sania Mirza retired in her match against Czech Republic’s Iveta Benesova due to her wrist injury. She added that her wrist injury was so severe that was not able to comb her hair. Mirza had lost complete motion and needed surgery, but her injury got worse after the surgery.

Mirza said she was depressed for 3-4 months after she withdrew from the Beijing Olympics. She added that on top of crying for no reason, she did not leave her room for over a month. Mirza felt like she would “never be able to play tennis ever again”.

Mirza said “I felt I let my family and country down”, she added that her family helped her realise that that was not true. She also got the help she needed. Due to her wrist injuries, she withdrew from several matches in 2008, including the French Open and US Open Grand Slams. She later won two medals at the Commonwealth Games that took place in India.

Tennis player Sania Mirza won 14 medals, out of which 6 were gold medals at multi-sport events the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games, and the Afro-Asian Games. In her professional career which began in 2003, she has won six Grand Slam titles.

Mirza was ranked as India’s number one player by the Women’s Tennis Association from 2003 until 2013. With 42 wins in the WTA Tours, Mirza has won more doubles titles than any other active player. In 2005, she won the WTA Newcomer of the Year award and in 2016, she also won the civilian award Padma Bhushan.