Tennis legend Sania Mirza has joined forces with Olympic debutant Ankita Raina to represent India in the women's doubles event. There is a significant amount of optimism surrounding this pairing, with many seeing them as India's best shot at a tennis medal in the upcoming Tokyo Games.
The path to a medal will be grueling for the Indian duo, as they must overcome elite competition from the UK, France, Spain, and the US. Their experience as a team is limited, having previously partnered only for a single campaign in the Billie Jean King Cup.
Their collaboration took place during the Billie Jean King Cup's first World Group play-offs, a tournament previously known as the Fed Cup. The pair displayed excellent chemistry, helping the team achieve a perfect 5-0 record and a second-place finish in Group I to qualify for the playoffs. Sania Mirza's individual brilliance shone through as she went undefeated and earned the prestigious Fed Cup Heart Award, a first for any Indian player.
While both Mirza and Raina competed at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, they did so with different partners. It was only after the conclusion of Wimbledon that they began training together specifically for the Tokyo Olympics.
With her participation in Tokyo, six-time Grand Slam winner Sania Mirza will set a historic milestone as the first Indian woman to compete in four different Olympic Games. Her Olympic journey has had its ups and downs, including a disappointing start in her first Games when a wrist injury forced her to withdraw during the first round of singles.
Sania secured her spot in the Olympics using her protected ranking of No. 9. According to tournament regulations, a player can compete in doubles if their partner is ranked within the top 300. With Ankita Raina holding a doubles rank of 95 and a singles rank of 183, the 28-year-old was a perfect match for Mirza, leading to their official pairing.
India's tennis history at the Olympics is sparse, with the only medal being a bronze won by Leander Paes in singles back in 1996. A second medal almost arrived at the Rio Games when Sania Mirza and Rohan Boppana reached the mixed doubles semifinals, but a sudden dip in form cost them the match and the bronze. Now, the entire country is hopeful that Mirza and Raina can end this 25-year drought and bring home another medal.