Former Indian tennis star Sania Mirza returned to Hyderabad for Eid after spending tense days in Dubai with her son amid regional security concerns.
She said she decided to travel home after hearing fighter jets overhead and learning that debris from an intercepted projectile had fallen close to her residence in Al Barsha.
Mirza explained that while she never felt directly unsafe, the uncertainty prompted her to leave temporarily. “You don’t want your child going through that. He was asking questions,” she said. Her seven-year-old son, Izhaan, studies in Dubai, and the family will decide when to return depending on how the situation develops.
She described her Eid homecoming as a tradition. “I come every Eid. We try to spend the last week of Ramzan in Hyderabad because Ramzan here has to be experienced,” she said. Izhaan enjoys visiting his grandparents, where, she joked, “nobody says no to anything.”
Since retiring from professional tennis, Mirza has focused on her initiative Next Set, which supports young female athletes in India. The program provides access to coaches, physios, nutritionists, and financial support. Mirza said she launched the project after years of being asked why India had not produced another player like her. “I got tired of answering that question, so I thought I should do something about it,” she explained.
She believes India must set realistic goals, such as producing players who regularly compete in Grand Slams and rank within the top 100 or 150. Financial challenges, infrastructure gaps, and the difficult transition from junior to professional tennis often derail promising talent. Mirza’s aim now is to create an environment where young players can focus solely on their game.
