Telangana Brand Ambassador and Wimbledon 2015 doubles champion Sania Mirza has been awarded the coveted Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for 2015 by the union sports ministry.
Union Sports secretary Ajit Sharan said Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday had recommended the Khel Ratna for Mirza.
The 28-year-old Hyderabad-born tennis sensation apparently pipped other brilliant sportspersons like squash star Dipika Pallikal, hockey captain Sardar Singh, discus throwers Vikas Gowda and Seema Punia, and shuttler Kidambi Srikanth for the honour.
Mirza has been the flag-bearer for the country in the tennis world. From partnering the great Roger Federer of Switzerland to making India proud by winning the gold medal in the Asian Games in 2014, her contribution to the rise of India in tennis has been commendable.
Mirza has had an especially phenomenal run this year, resulting in her ending up at the top of the WTA women's doubles rankings and winning her first women's doubles title (Wimbledon). She began the 2015 season with a no. 6 ranking in doubles, and excelled to bag several titles, including the Indiana Wells, Miami Open and Family Circle trophies. But the biggest achievement for the tennis star came at Wimbledon - she created history when she won the doubles title partnering Martina Hingis of Switzerland. This is the first women's doubles title for an Indian in a Grand Slam event.
Mirza also received the Arjuna Award last year, and the Padma Sri in 2006.