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Sania Mirza Height, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

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Age: 37 Years
Caste: Sunni Muslim
Marital Status: Separated

Sania Mirza

Bio/Wiki
Full NameSania Mirza Malik
NicknameSam
ProfessionTennis Player
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 173 cm
in meters- 1.73 m
in feet inches- 5’ 8”
Eye ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourDark Brown
Tennis
Turned proFebruary 2003
RetirementIn January 2023, Sania Mirza announced that she would retire from professional tennis after playing in the Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 in February. After pulling herself out of the US Open 2022, the Indian ace said, "Honestly, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don't want to be forced out by injury. I really don’t have the capacity in my mind to emotionally push that much anymore. Priorities change, and now my priority is not to push my body to the limit every single day.” [1]Olympics
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachImran Mirza (her father) and Roger Anderson
Career Titles (Singles)1 WTA, 14 ITF
Career Titles (Doubles)41 WTA, 4 ITF
Career Titles (Mixed Doubles)3
Highest Ranking (Singles)No. 27 (27 August 2007)
Highest Ranking (Doubles)No. 1 (13 April 2015)
Awards, Honours, Achievements 2004: Arjuna Award
2005: WTA Newcomer of the Year
2006: Padma Shri
2015: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
Sania Mirza Receiving Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
2016: Padma Bhushan
Sania Mirza Receiving Padma Bhushan
2016: Global Icon of the Year at 2016 NRI of the Year Awards, New Delhi
2020: On 11 May, she became the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award.
Sania Mirza Fed Cup Heart Award
Personal Life
Date of Birth15 November 1986
Age (as of 2023)37 Years
BirthplaceMumbai, India
Zodiac signScorpio
Signature Sania Mirza Signature
NationalityIndian
HometownHyderabad, India
SchoolNasr School (a private school chain in Khairatabad, Hyderabad)
College/UniversitySt. Mary's College, Hyderabad
Educational QualificationGraduate
ReligionIslam
Caste/SectSunni Muslim
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian
AddressShe resides in a house in Hyderabad’s Film Nagar
HobbiesSwimming, Listening to Music, Travelling
Controversies• In 2006, some newspapers reported that she declined to play doubles with the Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er for fear of protests from India's Muslim community. However, she teamed up with Pe'er at the 2007 WTA Tour of Stanford, California.

• In 2008, Mirza was pictured sitting with her feet resting on a table next to an Indian flag. Following a huge criticism for this act, Mirza announced that she will stop appearing in tennis competitions in her native country. She had been at the centre of disputes involving her dress and disrespecting India's national flag.

• After Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi declined to play in the men's doubles event at the 2012 Olympics with Leander Paes, Paes demanded Mirza to be his partner for the mixed doubles event. However, Sania wanted to play with Mahesh Bhupathi and accused the All India Tennis Association (AITA) of using her as 'bait' to keep Paes happy. In the end, the duo of Mirza and Paes lost in the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles.

• At the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Parade in 2008, she was photographed violating the dress code.

• She has often been referred to as "Pakistan's daughter-in-law" in a sarcastic way for being married to a Pakistani cricketer- Shoaib Malik.

• In June 2019, she had a war of words on Twitter with the Pakistani actress Veena Malik. After a video was circulated on Twitter, showing Sania Mirza's son Izhaan with his parents and some members of the Pakistan cricket team at a "sheesha place," Veena Malik commented- "Sania, I am actually so worried for the kid. You guys took him to a sheesha place isn't it Hazardous? Also as far as I know Archie's is all about junk food which isn't good for athletes/Boys. You must know well as you are mother and athlete yourself?" In reply, Sania said that she cares about her son a "lot more than anyone else does."
War of Words On Twitter Between Sania Mirza And Veena Malik
Relationships & More
Marital StatusSeparated
Affairs/BoyfriendsShoaib Malik
Ex-fianceSohrab Mirza (Sania Mirza's childhood friend)
Sania Mirza with Sohrab Mirza
Marriage Date12 April 2010
Sania Mirza Wedding Photo
Marriage PlaceThe Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad
Family
Husband/SpouseShoaib Malik (Cricketer) (ex-husband)
Sania Mirza with Shoaib Malik
Note: In January 2024, rumors suggested that Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik had divorced after facing marital issues since 2022. Later, in the same month, her father confirmed that Sania had chosen 'Khula,' a process where the wife initiates divorce. [2]Hindustan Times [3]The Times of India [4]Mint
ChildrenSon- Izhaan Mirza Malik (born in October 2018)
Sania Mirza With Her Son
Daughter- None
ParentsFather- Imran Mirza (a sports journalist)
Sania Mirza With Her Father Imran Mirza
Mother- Nasima Mirza
Sania Mirza With Her Mother
Sania Mirza With Her Family
SiblingsBrother- None
Sister- Anam Mirza (The owner of the fashion outlet The Label Bazaar)
Sania Mirza With Her Sister Anam Mirza
Favourites
SportsCricket and Swimming
CricketerYuvraj Singh
Tennis Player(s)Roger Federer, Martina Hingis
FoodBiryani
DessertIce Cream
Actor(s)Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar
ActressMadhuri Dixit
FilmKuch Kuch Hota Hai
Singer(s)Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh
Travel Destination(s)Dubai, Maldives
Style Quotient
Cars Collection• Fiat Palio (signed by Sachin Tendulkar)
• Toyota Supra
• BMW
• Porsche
• Range Rover
Sania Mirza Coming Out Of Her Range Rover Car

Sania Mirza In Action

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sania Mirza

  • Does Sania Mirza smoke?: No
  • Does Sania Mirza drink alcohol?: No
  • Sania Mirza was born into a Hyderabadi Muslim Family in Bombay ( now, Mumbai).

    The Infant Sania Mirza In Her Mother's Lap

    The Infant Sania Mirza In Her Mother’s Lap

  • The Mirza Family had migrated to the US in 1990 and returned within two years.
  • In an interview, Sania’s father, Imran Mirza, who had also played tennis in his college days, revealed that they were more of a cricketing family, where everyone had played cricket at some level at some point in their lives.
  • Sania’s father has been a sports journalist who also ran a sports magazine called “Sports Call” in Hyderabad.

    Sania Mirza's Father Reading The Sports Magazine Sports Call

    Sania Mirza’s Father Reading The Sports Magazine Sports Call

  • Therefater, her father ventured into the printing press business and finally became a builder.
  • Sania grew up in Hyderabad along with her younger sister Anam.

    Sania Mirza With Her Younger Sister Anam In Their Childhood

    Sania Mirza With Her Younger Sister Anam In Their Childhood

  • She passed her SSC examination with first division; securing 63% marks from Nasr School Khairatabad.

    Sania Mirza In Her Childhood

    Sania Mirza In Her Childhood

  • It was her father, Imran Mirza, who had drawn Sania to Lawn Tennis, and she started playing Tennis at the tender age of six at Nizam Club Hyderabad.
  • Sania received her initial training in tennis by CK Bhupathi, father of Mahesh Bhupathi.
  • When her father was unable to bear the expenses of her training, he approached some business houses for help; thereafter, GVK industries and Adidas started to sponsor her from the age of 12 years.
  • Later on, Sania’s father took over as her coach and started grooming her to make her a player of international level.

    Imran Mirza Working With Sania On Court

    Imran Mirza Working With Sania On Court

  • After learning the professional tennis at Sinnet Tennis Academy in Secunderabad, Sania moved to the Ace Tennis Academy in the United States.
  • She won 10 singles and 13 doubles titles as a junior player.

    Sania Mirza In Her Childhood

    Sania Mirza In Her Childhood

  • Partnering Alisa Kleybanova, Sania Won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships Girls’ Doubles title.

    Sania Mirza With Alisa Kleybanova

    Sania Mirza With Alisa Kleybanova

  • She went on to reach the semifinals of the 2003 US Open Girls’ Doubles and the quarterfinals of the 2002 US Open Girls’ Doubles.
  • On the senior circuit, the 15-year-old Sania had some significant wins such as in Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, and in Manila, Philippines.
  • However, when she was given a wild card entry at the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open; her first ever WTA tournament, she lost to Australia’s Evie Dominikovic.
  • Her first taste of success at the international level was when she partnered Leander Paes to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event of the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.

    Sania Mirza With Leander Paes

    Sania Mirza With Leander Paes

  • Thereafter, Sania Mirza went on to pick up four gold medals at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.
  • Sania won her first WTA doubles title the 2004 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, partnering Liezel Huber.

    Sania Mirza Greeting Liezel Huber

    Sania Mirza Greeting Liezel Huber

  • On the ITF Circuit, Sania won six ITF singles titles in 2004.
  • In the 2005 Australian Open, she reached the third round after beating Cindy Watson and Petra Mandula in the first and second rounds, respectively. However, in the third round, she was beaten in straight sets by Serena Williams.

    Sania Mirza And Serena Williams

    Sania Mirza And Serena Williams

  • When Sania defeated the ninth-seeded Alona Bondarenko in the final of the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open in February 2005, she became the first-ever Indian woman to win a WTA title.

    Sania Mirza Celebrating Her Win Over Alona Bondarenko

    Sania Mirza Celebrating Her Win Over Alona Bondarenko

  • In the same year, she became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open.
  • After a successful 2005 season, Sania Mirza was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

    Sania Mirza wins the WTA Newcomer of the year award

    Sania Mirza wins the WTA Newcomer of the year award

  • When Sania was seeded at the 2006 Australian Open, she became the first female Indian to be seeded in a grand slam event.
  • At the 2006 Doha Asian Games, Mirza picked three medals- gold, in mixed doubles and silver in women’s singles and team.

    Sania Mirza At The Doha Asian Games

    Sania Mirza At The Doha Asian Games

  • In the same year, Sania had three top-ten wins against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Martina Hingis.
  • The year 2007, proved to be a successful year for Sania; as she reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 27 in the same year. The same year, she also won four doubles titles.
  • Mirza represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, she was eliminated from singles after having a right wrist injury. The injury also caused her to withdraw from several other matches including those of the French Open and US Open Grand Slams.

    Sania Mirza During The Opening Ceremony Of The 2008 Beijing Olympics

    Sania Mirza During The Opening Ceremony Of The 2008 Beijing Olympics

  • At the 2010 Asian Games, Mirza won Bronze Medal in singles and a Silver in mixed doubles, partnering India’s Vishnu Vardhan.

    Sania Mirza With Vishnu Vardhan At The 2010 Asian Games

    Sania Mirza With Vishnu Vardhan At The 2010 Asian Games

  • In the 2011 French Open, Mirza had probably the greatest highlight of her career- reaching the finals of a Grand Slam.

    Sania Mirza At The 2011 French Open

    Sania Mirza At The 2011 French Open

  • Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open Mixed Doubles Crown on 7 June 2012.

    Sania Mirza And Mahesh Bhupathi After Winning The 2012 French Open In Mixed Doubles

    Sania Mirza And Mahesh Bhupathi After Winning The 2012 French Open In Mixed Doubles

  • In 2014, the Telangana Government appointed Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of the state.

    Sania Mirza As The Brand Ambassador Of The Telangana State

    Sania Mirza As The Brand Ambassador Of The Telangana State

  • In the same year, she became the first South Asian woman to be appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.

    Sania Mirza As The UN Ambassador

    Sania Mirza As The UN Ambassador

  • In 2015, Sania Mirza paired up with Swiss legend Martina Hingis. The duo went on to have many significant wins including the Family Circle Cup, a victory that made history; making Mirza the first Indian to be ranked world No. 1 in WTA’s doubles rankings. On her win, Sania said-

    It’s a dream for every kid to be No. 1 one day.”

    Sania Mirza Celebrating Her No.1 WTA Ranking With Martina Hingis

    Sania Mirza Celebrating Her No.1 WTA Ranking With Martina Hingis

  • At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Mirza won her maiden women’s doubles Grand Slam with Hingis.
  • In August 2016, the duo of Hingis and Mirza announced their mutual decision to split as a team. However, both are still good friends.

    Sania Mirza Having A Fun Time With Martina Hingis

    Sania Mirza Having A Fun Time With Martina Hingis

  • After her split with Hingis, Mirza struggled to find a committed partner.
  • In 2016, the Time Magazine named Mirza on the list of 100 most influential people in the world.

    Sania Mirza On The Cover Of Time Magazine

    Sania Mirza On The Cover Of Time Magazine

  • In July 2016, Sania Mirza published an autobiography titled “Ace Against Odds.”

    Sania Mirza At The Launch Of Her Autobiography Ace Against Odds

    Sania Mirza At The Launch Of Her Autobiography Ace Against Odds

  • Due to a knee injury, Mirza missed the first few tournaments of the 2018 season.

    Sania Mirza Struggling With Her Knee Injury

    Sania Mirza Struggling With Her Knee Injury

  • In April 2018, Sania Mirza announced on her Instagram account that she was pregnant with her first child, with husband Shoaib Malik.

    Sania Mirza Showing Her Baby Bumps

    Sania Mirza Showing Her Baby Bumps

  • In October 2018, she gave birth to a baby boy and named him Izhaan.
  • In 2010, Google trends said that Sania Mirza was the most searched Indian sportsperson that year.
  • On 18 January 2020, Sania made a comeback and won her 42nd WTA doubles title at the Hobart International after taking a break from tennis after the China Open in October 2017 and giving birth to her son a year later.
  • In July 2021, the UAE officially granted her the Dubai Golden Visa, making her the third Indian to get this visa after Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt. The visa grants Sania and her husband, Shoaib Malik, a 10-year-long residency in the UAE. [5]The Times of India
  • On 19 January 2022, she announced that she will retire at the end of the 2022 season as her physique was ‘wearing down,’ and she was not getting the required motivation and energy; the announcement came after she lost the Australian Open women’s doubles first round with partner Nadiia Kichenok. [6]The Hindu At the post-match press conference, Mirza said,

    My body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older. Also for me to find that motivation everyday to come out, the energy is not the same anymore. Right this minute, it’s there but there are days where I don’t feel like doing that. I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process and not just winning but you have to enjoy the process and I am not sure I’m enjoying it anymore.”

  • Sania Mirza’s appearance at Wimbledon ended in a semi-final defeat to defending champions Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk in the mixed doubles event on 6 July 2022; Mirza and her Croatian partner Mate Pavic, seeded sixth, went down 6-4 5-7 4-6 to Skupski of Great Britain and American Krawczyk in two hours 16 minutes. [7]The Times of India
  • Ahead of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023, Sania Mirza was appointed RCB’s team mentor. Her appointment raised a few eyebrows as she didn’t have experience in cricket. In an interview, Sania talked about the logic behind her induction as a mentor into the team and said,

    They said I would be working with young girls. Young girls, who are probably for the first time facing this kind of spotlight with the kind of money riding on them, the kind of pressure. A lot of the girls haven’t really faced that ever. I have faced that for the last 20 years of my life and they were like ‘we just want you to help them cope with that’. That was such a brilliant idea for me as well.” [8]Hindustan Times

  • In January 2024, reports emerged that Shoaib cheated on Sania, based on claims by Pakistani journalist Naeem Hanif. Hanif, during a show, stated that Shoaib was dating Sana while he was still married to Sania, and they continued their relationship for three years before marrying in 2024. [9]The Economic Times