“We Were Not Allowed to Board the Plane, We Had a Lot of Issues with the Visa,” Sania Mirza, Six time Grand Slam Winner

Former World No. 1 Sania Mirza is all set to compete in the 2021 Wimbledon Championships with her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the women’s doubles events. It is a welcome event in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics, in which she will compete. The pair have won 6 WTA events in the past.

Sania Mirza will also be the first Indian woman to represent India at the 4 Olympics, as she will be going to the Tokyo Olympics this year. Sania has made her way to England for the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, in which the Women’s doubles are starting on 30th June. in her recent interview with NDTV, she talked about the problems and struggles she faced on her way there and the help she received to overcome them.

Sania Mirza was not allowed to see her son for 10 days as he quarantined

Sania said that she didn’t get a Visa easily to travel to competitions in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics. She also faced problems with her son, as she saw him for the first time in over 10 days, as he was quarantining with her sister when they reached England.

“He and my sister had to isolate. They didn’t get that exemption that was required to get into England. They were in the government quarantine and I had the exemption as an athlete, and for some reason, they were not an essential part of my team, I’m not sure how, but we needed to deal with it,” she said

Mirza said being an athlete during these times is tough enough already, but for her being a mother and having a tough travelling schedule is definitely not easy and has its own set of challenges.

She talked a little further about problems she faced while entering the country. “I had a problem with the Visa situation. Even till the last moment we weren’t allowed to board the plane, and the plane was leaving in five minutes. There was an issue with the Visa.”

She finally said that she was here and at the Wimbledon and that was all that mattered for now. She is there with her son and her sister.

“The one person who really really helped me was Sir Kiren Rijiju” Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza said that the one person who really helped her throughout this whole process was the Indian Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju. She said that he backed her up really well, and he was only one phone call away at all times if they faced any problems.

“I really don’t think it would have happened without his help. He deserves a lot of credit,” she said. She said that Kiren Rijiju, the Sports Authority of India as well as many other people came together, and it was a collective effort that allowed Mirza to play at Wimbledon.

“That’s what it is about. It takes that team effort to make great things happen.” She expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped her to be at the Wimbledon, which will be a good event for her to play at in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics.

Also read: Simona Halep pulls out of Tokyo Olympics

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