Despite twin distractions of a high-profile wedding and a persistent wrist injury, Mirza played with remarkable assertiveness to beat rising young Taiwanese Chan Yung-Jan 6-1, 6-4, in the first round of the Aegon Classic.
Mirza spoke positively about being separated so soon from Shoaib, and for a lengthy period of time.
"The distance between us is difficult. But we will be together for life hopefully, so two years isn't long," she said.
"Marriage is something which happens to everyone at some point. It's just if you want to wait to finish your career or to get married now.
"For me, marriage is personal and tennis is professional.
It's two separate things so it doesn't feel like a distraction." However Mirza admitted that the best she can do was to live with her injury and contain it, which made the win over Chan in this Wimbledon warm-up event — only her second in a mere seven matches all year — all the sweeter.
"I was just happy to be competing and happy to be out there and feeling healthy," said the player who became the first Indian woman either to win a WTA Tour title or to capture a Grand Slam title (with Mahesh Bhupathi in the Australian Open mixed doubles).
"When you come back after a long time and have a win it's good for your confidence," Mirza emphasized.
She also scored a victory over the rain, which began spitting early in the second set and gradually increased to a level at which it threatened to send the players to the locker room before they had finished.
Up until 6-1, 3-0, Mirza hardly struck a shot wrong, connecting with the ball as cleanly as though she had never been away from the tour.
On the softish grass this enabled her to strike winner after winner, but when she tried to hurry things along her progress slowed.
It brought two double faults to cause her to drop her service game, after which Chan, ranked 83 in the world, began playing more like a player with top 50 ambitions and rallied to 5-4 down.
But when it came to closing out the match Mirza made no mistake, delivering two solid first serves from 30-all and both times following up with weighty forehand drive winners.
It earned her a second round with Tamarine Tanasugarn, the Thai player who reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon two years ago.
