Tokyo-bound Sania Mirza included in TOPS 4 years after she opted out of scheme

File picture of Sania Mirza. Reuters

New Delhi: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was on Wednesday included within the authorities’s Goal Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), 4 years after she opted out of the programme.

Sania was chosen within the TOPS through the 56th assembly of the Mission Olympic Cell right here.

The 34-year-old a number of Grand Slam winner had opted out of the scheme when she was chosen final in 2017 due to an damage breakdown which had led to a lay-off.

“Sure, Sania has been chosen within the latest TOPS checklist,” a Sports activities Authority of India supply informed PTI.

Sania has already certified for the Tokyo Olympics primarily based on her protected rating earlier than she took a break from the sport as a consequence of being pregnant.

Sania is at the moment ranked 157th on this planet however as per WTA guidelines when a participant takes a lay-off from the sport longer than six months on account of accidents or being pregnant, they’ll apply for a “particular rating” (additionally typically referred to as a “protected rating”).

The particular rating of a participant is their world rating after the final event they performed and in Sania’s case, it was the China Open in October 2017. She was ranked world No. 9 at that time.

So, Sania at the moment has a particular rating of ninth and has already certified for the Tokyo Olympics.

The particular rankings had been launched by WTA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sania was inactive for 2 years as a consequence of being pregnant and solely made her return to the court docket final 12 months following the start of her son on the season-opening Hobart Worldwide WTA occasion.

She partnered Ukrainian Nadiia Kichenok to win the ladies’s doubles title.