New Delhi, Tennis star Sania Mirza on Thursday became the first Indian to be nominated for the Fed Cup Heart Award. Sania is the nominee for the award from the Asia/Oceania Zone alongwith Indonesia's Priska Madelyn Nugroho, the tournament announced.

"Six players have been nominated for the three regional Group I Fed Cup Heart Awards in recognition of their Fed Cup by BNP Paribas performances in 2020," said the Fed Cup in its statement.

"The nominees are: Estonia's Anett Kontaveit and Luxembourg's Eleonora Molinaro from Europe/Africa; Fernanda Contreras Gomez of Mexico and Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg from the Americas; and India's Sania Mirza and Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia from Asia/Oceania."

Voting for the award opens on May 1 and will end on May 8.

Sania played an integral role in India securing a first-ever place in the playoffs. She won the decisive doubles match that helped India secure their win over Indonesia in their final Group 1 match.

After giving birth to her child in October 2018, Sania returned to the court in January this year. She clinched the women's doubles title at Hobart International, pairing up with Nadiia Kichenok, in her comeback competition.