Tennis star Sania Mirza turns 28

This birthday will be even more special for Sania with her winning the 2014 US Open Mixed Doubles Event  and the WTA Finals this year.

She is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 7 in doubles.

Sania began playing tennis at the age of six and turned a professional player in 2003.

She was trained by her father and attended NASR school in Hyderabad and later graduated from St. Mary's College.

Sania won 10 singles and 13 doubles titles as a junior player.

She then bagged the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, partnering Alisa Kleybanova. She also reached the semifinals of the 2003 French Open Girls' Doubles, with Sanaa Bhambri, and the quarterfinals of the 2002 US Open Girls' Doubles, with Isha Lakhani.

The tennis star has helped India win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event of the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, partnering Leander Paes. In addition, she picked up 4 gold medals at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.

In Dec 2006, Sania picked up three medals at the Doha Asian Games – Gold, in mixed doubles and Silver in women's singles and team.

She is the first Indian female player to surpass US$1m in career earnings and is first Indian to win a WTA Tour title of any kind.

By winning the 2009 Australian Open – Mixed Doubles Event, Sania became the third Indian, male or female, to win a Grand Slam title (the first two being Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes).

Sania has also won the 2012 French Open – Mixed Doubles Event, which is her second Grand Slam title.

She has been conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2004 and the Padma Shri award  in 2006 for her contribution to the game.

Sania married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010.