Sania Mirza’s campaign in the forthcoming Wimbledon suffered a jolt when her regular partner Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan was ruled out of action due to a surgery requirement, according to Imran Mirzan, Sania’s father-cum-coach. Shvedova is set to undergo surgery soon.
“Yaroslava has withdrawn from Wimbledon and with three days left to submit doubles entries for the Grand Slam and most top players already booked, Sania has opted for Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens, ranked World No. 48 in the world, as her new partner,” Imran said. “The Mirza-Flipkens duo will be playing together at Wimbledon and in Eastbourne in Sussex County a week before the prestigious Grand Slam.”
The 30-year-old Sania, who is currently partnering Coco Vandeweghe in the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and has reached the quarterfinals in her first tournament of the year on grass, said: “Of course, it is disappointing to lose a regular doubles partner just three days before the entry deadline of a major but there is not much that can be done about it.”
“My thoughts are with Slava and I pray for her speedy recovery. Flipkens is ranked 48 in the world and we will certainly not be seeded very high at Wimbledon,” says Sania, who won the 2015 Wimbledon women’s doubles title partnering Martina Hingis.
“Tennis for me is all about giving it my best shot against all adversities and we will try to defy odds and give a good account of ourselves at Eastbourne - if we can still find a way to get into the draw at this late stage - and at Wimbledon,” Sania said.
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