Born | Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India | 7 September 1997||||||||||||||
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Plays | right-handed | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Shaik Jafreen (born 7 September 1997) is a deaf Indian tennis player. [1] She represented India at the Deaflympics in 2013 and 2017. [2] She claimed a bronze medal in the mixed doubles at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics partnering with Prithvi Sekhar. [3] [4] [5]
Jafreen started playing tennis when she was just eight years old. She went on to become a formidable tennis player despite being deaf, after being noticed by India's best female tennis player, Sania Mirza, and gaining assistance from her, [6] [7] receiving training at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy which is located in Hyderabad. [8] [9]
She went on to represent India at the 2013 Summer Deaflympics which was also her first Deaflympic appearance. As in the as of Prithvi Sekhar, she did not win a medal in her debut Deaflympic event. She was chosen to compete for India at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics as India sent a delegation consisting of 46 participants for the multi-sport event, the largest number of athletes sent by India to a single Summer Deaflympics. [10] Jafreen along with Prithvi Sekhar won a historical bronze medal in the mixed doubles at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics, marking India's first ever Deaflympic medal in tennis. [11] [12]
Jafreen received the Jury Special Recognition in Sports at the Sakshi Excellence Awards 2017. [13]
In 2021, she was honored with the national award for sporting excellence by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, being recognized as the best sportsperson with a disability (hearing impaired). [14]
In accordance with its sports policy of offering Group-1 posts to international sportspersons, the Andhra Pradesh government extended a government job offer to Jafreen in November 2023. [15]
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