Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik 'divorced for a few months now', says tennis legend's father

Imran Mirza, father of tennis star Sania Mirza, confirmed on Instagram that his daughter has divorced Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. This announcement came after Shoaib Malik revealed his marriage to Pakistani actress Sana Javed.

Mirza said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that Sania and Shoaib have been divorced for a few months now. "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," the statement read.

The statement further urged fans and well-wishers of Sania Mirza to not indulge in speculation and "to respect her need for privacy". "She wishes Shoaib well for his new journey ahead! 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," the family said. 

Earlier in the day, Mirza also told news agency PTI that "it was a khulla", which refers to the right of a Muslim woman to unilaterally divorce her husband. Imran Mirza's statement came after Malik and Javed's wedding has put all the speculations to rest.

Sana Javed, who has also changed her Instagram name to Sana Shoaib Malik, was previously married to singer Umair Jaswal.

Meanwhile, both Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik had remained silent about their separation till now. The former couple, who have a son together, Izhaan Mirza Malik, had also celebrated his 5th birthday in Dubai last year.

Despite the rumours of their separation, Shoaib Malik had lauded Sania Mirza's career achievements during her last Grand Slam match at the Australian Open last year.

On a professional front, Malik recently played for Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League 2024 against Rangpur Riders.

Also Read: She was tired of his affairs: Shoaib Malik's sister on divorce with Sania Mirza

Also Read: Sania Mirza filed for divorce from husband Shoaib Malik: Pak media