Sania Mirza /

Sania Mirza (Hindi- सानिया मिर्ज़ा) (born 15 November 1986, in Mumbai, India) is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003. She is well-known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings. Mirza has defeated many top players, including Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Hingis. In 2004 she was awarded the Arjuna award by the Indian Government. In 2006, Mirza was awarded a Padma Shri, India's fourth highest honor for her achievements as a tennis player. In March 2010, The Economic Times named Mirza in the list of the "33 women who made India proud". Mirza was born to Imran Mirza, a sports journalist, and his wife Nasima in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was brought up in Hyderabad in a religious family. Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was trained by her father. She attended nursery school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College. In April 2003, Mirza made her debut in the India Fed Cup team, winning all three singles matches. She also won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia.