A proud moment for woman’s sports, ace Indian tennis star Sania Mirza will soon be conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country’s highest sporting honour. Sania is the first woman tennis player and second ever tennis player to receive the Khel Ratna after Leander Paes in 1997.
On 1st August, the Union Sports Ministry recommended Sania’s name to the awards committee, after considering fifteen other sport stars from the country like the squash champion Deepika Pallikal, Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh, Discus Thrower Vikas Gowda etc. However, the ministry said that the decision of the awards committee will be final.
Sania, who recently won the Wimbledon Woman’s Doubles trophy with her partner Martina Hingis, currently ranks number one in the world’s doubles rankings. Sania already won the prestigious sporting honour for young achievers, Arjuna Award, in 2004 and Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian honor in 2006. Congrats, Sania!