Sania Mirza-Shoaib Malik Separation: 'Divorced For A Few Months Now', Says Tennis Legend's Family

A day after former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik had announced his marriage with actor Sana Javed, Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza's family has broken its silence on the matter. A statement jointly released by Sania's family and her team reveals that she and Shoaib have been "divorced for a few months now". (More Tennis News)

The statement reads: “Sania has always kept her personal life away from the public eye. However, today the need has arisen for her to share that Shoaib and she have been divorced for a few months now. She wishes Shoaib well for his new journey ahead!" 

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It further states: "At this sensitive period of her life, we would like to request all fans and well-wishers to refrain from indulging in any speculation and to respect her need for privacy." 

Sania and Shoaib had gotten hitched in the former's hometown Hyderabad in April 2010, and the two used to live in Dubai. Their marriage was one of the most well-known cross-border relationships that India and Pakistan have witnessed. They have a five-year-old son Izhaan Mirza Malik, who lives with Sania. 

On Saturday, January 20, 2024, Shoaib had posted a picture on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with his new wife Sana, with the words "And We created you in pairs". This is his third marriage - the first one was with Ayesha Siddiqui.

Sana has acted in a number of TV shows, and was first seen on screen in 2012 with drama series Shehr-e-Zaat and Mera Pehla Pyar. In 2017, she made her movie debut with the socio-comedy film Mehrunisa V Lub U. 

Days earlier, Sania had posted a cryptic message on Instagram, which read: "When something disturbs the peace of your heart , let it go."

As for Sania and Shoaib's separation, Sania's father Imran Mirza had told PTI that "it was a 'khula'", which refers to the right of a Muslim woman to unilaterally divorce her husband.