Sania Mirza opens up on post-retirement void: ‘I woke up feeling empty’

Sania Mirza has opened up about how ending a rigid athletic routine created a deep emotional vacuum, forcing her and her family to rebuild life from scratch.

Retirement can hit athletes in unexpected ways. The competition ends, the schedule stops, and the rhythm built over decades disappears overnight. Former tennis star Sania Mirza says she felt that shift immediately.

In an interview with Zoom, Sania described the morning after her final match in 2023 as one of the toughest stretches she has faced. The 39-year-old, who ended her two-decade career at the Dubai Open, said she woke up “empty,” unsure what the next set of hours was supposed to look like.

She said the feeling arrived fast: No training session, no gym block or match preparation. “It felt like a part of me had died,” she said, adding that she had spent three decades inside a fixed schedule and then, suddenly, there was none.

Her parents, present with her at the time, were surprised by the reaction. She said they reminded her that retirement was her own call. But, as she put it, the shift felt like burying a version of herself that had existed since childhood.

Sania explained that she cried for “two hours” in her room that morning. She said the reaction was uncharacteristic but necessary, because the reality of a new life had settled in.

The adjustment did not stay limited to her. For years, her family's movements circled her training and travel. After her son Izhaan was born, coordination only grew tighter.

“That entire system had to be rearranged,” she said. Her father had travelled with her for long periods; her mother too. The end of her career meant a fresh balance for everyone involved.

Also Read: Is Josh Allen injured? Here's the latest update on Buffalo Bills QB

Sania eventually shifted into mentoring with the RCB camp and then into television work. She said she now feels busier post-retirement than she expected.

A post shared by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@royalchallengers.bengaluru)

Psychotherapist and life coach Delnna Rrajesh said such reactions are common far beyond sports, according to The Indian Express.

When a role becomes an identity, its ending can feel like losing the ground beneath it. Families, she said, often face a parallel disruption, because their routines are also built around the athlete.

Rrajesh noted that navigating this period requires accepting the grief, rebuilding structure slowly, and widening identity beyond performance. Retirement, she said, is not a collapse but a realignment. One that uses discipline and resilience from earlier years as the base for the next chapter.

Also Read: Magnus Carlsen promises to wear ‘tighter jeans' in hilarious jeansgate reminder ahead of World Rapid and Blitz C'ships

She said she woke up feeling “empty” and cried for hours as her routine disappeared.

Her daily structure was built around sport for almost three decades, and losing it left a sudden void.

Her parents had to rebuild their own schedules after years revolving around her career.

Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: Sania Mirza opens up on cross-border parenting after divorce with Shoaib Malik Sania Mirza opens up on cross-border parenting after divorce Sania Mirza opens up on life after divorce Sania Mirza recalls feeling ‘empty’ day after retirement from tennis Sania Mirza Says She Dia Mirza Wraps Up Shooting For Upcoming Love Story With Rahul Bhat - SEE POST Dia Mirza speaks out on girls’ safety on girl child day & tourism day Pakistani Cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza Arrested Over Controversial Remarks Real estate development opened up by Rajasthan's double-engine govt to hurt Aravallis more