Sania Mirza becomes the first Indian female to compete in four Olympic Games, but she confessed on Thursday that being away from her newborn son while she is in Tokyo will be “tough.”
Family members are not permitted to attend this month’s Games as Japanese officials want to limit the danger of COVID-19 as much as possible.
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That means Izhaan, Mirza’s son with her husband and former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, will stay with their parents while she is in Tokyo.
“We are in terrible circumstances, and we must make painful decisions,” Mirza remarked.
“But I never had any reservations about attending. I was certain.”
Izhaan, who turns three in October, sat with his mother at a press appearance at Wimbledon on Thursday.
“It’s difficult to leave him at any moment. I try to do as little as possible of it “She said.
“But if that’s something I have to do, then I’ll do it. You have to do that as a working mother from time to time.”
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Mirza will compete in doubles alongside Ankita Raina in Tokyo.
“I feel extremely humbled and fortunate to be in this position to travel to Tokyo after having a kid,” she said of her ability to compete in four Olympics in a row.
Mirza returned to Wimbledon for the first time since 2017 on Thursday, defeating sixth seeds Alexa Guarachi and Desirae Krawczyk 7-5, 6-3 in the women’s doubles.
Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon doubles title with Martina Hingis in 2015, followed by a second Slam at the US Open two months later.
Her career doubles championship total is 42, and she has won over 500 matches.
She joked that she and Mattek-Sands, 36, were representing the elder generation at the All England Club.
“It seemed like old times,” Mirza remarked of playing with the American, with whom she has won five tour championships.
“We were joking that we were the spring chicks, representing players born in the 1980s because all of the females in the draw appear to be from the 1990s.”
