India, Nov. 22 -- Retirement can hit athletes in unexpected ways. The competition ends, the schedule stops, and the rhythm built over decades disappears overnight. Former tennis star Sania Mirza says she felt that shift immediately.

In an interview with Zoom, Sania described the morning after her final match in 2023 as one of the toughest stretches she has faced. The 39-year-old, who ended her two-decade career at the Dubai Open, said she woke up "empty," unsure what the next set of hours was supposed to look like.

She said the feeling arrived fast: No training session, no gym block or match preparation. "It felt like a part of me had died," she said, adding that she had spent three decades inside a fixed schedule and then, suddenly, th...