Ever since her appearance on the international scene, Sania Mirza had to handle more than her fair share of controversies. The most dramatic was perhaps when the tennis star tied the knot with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010.
The hostile history between the two countries meant that the Mirza-Malik wedding was not just judged harshly but also came under immense scrutiny.
In recent years, the relationship between the two has said to be fractured, with rumours of divorce in the air for several months now.
Are Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik still together?
These rumours had become apparent when Mirza posted a cryptic Instagram story last week, talking about having to take difficult life decisions. It had also been rumoured that the reason for friction between the couple was that Malik had been in a relationship with Pakistani model Ayesha Omar.
Mirza had wrote on Instagram: 'Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.'
Malik married Pakistani actor Sana Javed on Friday.
Sania's father, Imran Mirza, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that the split between Sania and Shoaib "was a khula", which refers to the woman's right in a Muslim marriage to unilaterally divorce her husband.
This is the Pakistani cricketer's third marriage. Before tying the knot with Mirza in a glitzy ceremony in Hyderabad, India, Malik had reportedly married Ayesha Siddiqui, also from Hyderabad.
Mirza retired from professional tennis in 2023 and is currently working with the Indian broadcasting team for the Australian Open. Malik is also working in the media, frequently appearing on The Pavilion, a popular Pakistani cricket talk show.
Who is Shaoib Malik's wife Sana Javed?
Sana Javed is a Pakistani actress who made her debut in Urdu television serials such as Shehr-e-Zaat and Khaani. She was born in Saudi Arabia, and graduated from the University of Karachi in 2004.
She won national recognition at the first Pakistan International Screen Awards in 2020. In October of that year, she married singer Umair Jaswal, before the couple divorced in 2023. Thereafter, Javed married Shoaib Malik in Karachi in January 2024.
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