Sania Mirza details post-retirement struggle, admits she cried for hours after waking up to no set routine

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.

Sania Mirza talks about her post-retirement life.

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.

Sania Mirza on how she felt about retirement

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.

Losing a routine, building another

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.

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.

What experts say about the emotional shift?

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.

FAQs

What did Sania Mirza say about her first day after retirement?

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

Why was the transition difficult for Sania Mirza?

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

How did her retirement affect her family?

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