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Sania Mirza Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth15 November 1986

Age37 Years

BirthplaceMumbai, India

ProfessionTennis Player

NationalityIndian

Marital statusSeparated

SpouseShoaib Malik (ex-husband)

FamilySon - Izhaan Mirza Malik (born October 2018)

Sania Mirza Biography

Sania Mirza is an Indian professional tennis player who rose from junior success to become a Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 in doubles. Known‌‌

Early life and background

Sania Mirza Malik was born on 15 November 1986 in Mumbai and grew up in Hyderabad. Her father, Imran Mirza, a former college tennis player and sports journalist who ran a sports magazine, introduced her to tennis. She began playing at the age of six at Nizam Club, received early coaching from C.K. Bhupathi, and later trained at academies in Hyderabad and the United States. Sponsorship from GVK industries and Adidas began when she was about 12, and her father took on a central role in coaching and guiding her development.

As a junior, Mirza enjoyed notable success: she won 10 singles and 13 doubles junior titles and captured the 2003 Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles title with Alisa Kleybanova. She completed her schooling at Nasr School in Khairatabad and graduated from St. Mary’s College, Hyderabad.

Career

Mirza turned professional in February 2003 and quickly began collecting titles on both the ITF and WTA circuits. Early senior highlights included a bronze medal in mixed doubles with Leander Paes at the 2002 Asian Games and four gold medals at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad. In 2004 she won her first WTA doubles title at the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, and on the ITF circuit she claimed multiple singles trophies.

Her breakthrough in singles came in February 2005 when she defeated Alona Bondarenko to win the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title. The same year she became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam at the US Open and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.

Mirza reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 27 on 27 August 2007. Wrist injuries affected her campaign at times, including during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when she withdrew from several events.

Over time Mirza increasingly focused on doubles, where she achieved the greatest heights of her career. She won multiple Grand Slam mixed- and women’s-doubles titles, including the 2012 French Open mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi. A successful partnership with Martina Hingis beginning in 2015 brought a string of major victories, including the Family Circle Cup and the 2015 Wimbledon women’s doubles title, and helped Mirza become the first Indian to be ranked world No. 1 in WTA doubles on 13 April 2015.

Her tally of career titles includes one WTA singles title and 14 ITF singles titles, alongside 41 WTA doubles titles, four ITF doubles titles and three mixed-doubles titles. Mirza represented India at multiple multi-sport events, winning medals at the Asian Games across editions (including gold and silver medals in 2006 and medals in 2010) and receiving national honours such as the Arjuna Award (2004), Padma Shri (2006), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2015) and Padma Bhushan (2016).

In January 2023 Mirza announced she would retire from professional tennis following the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2023, explaining that injuries and changing priorities had influenced her decision not to continue pushing her body in the same way.

Public profile

Mirza has held roles beyond the court, including being appointed brand ambassador of Telangana in 2014 and becoming a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia the same year. Her public life has at times drawn controversy, with episodes that received extensive media attention. She married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on 12 April 2010 and the couple have one son, Izhaan, born in October 2018. Her marital status is listed as separated.

Style and personal interests

Listed at about 1.73 m (5'8"), Mirza is noted for a two-handed backhand and plays right-handed. Her coaches over the years have included her father Imran Mirza and Roger Anderson. Off court, she enjoys swimming, music and travel; she has expressed admiration for players such as Roger Federer and Martina Hingis and counts cricket among her interests.

Latest updates

In January 2023 Mirza confirmed plans to retire after the Dubai Tennis Championships later that month, citing an inability to continue pushing physically as before. Reports in early 2024 noted developments in her personal life concerning separation and a legal process reportedly initiated by her; her father has been cited as confirming she chose a wife-initiated divorce process. Mirza remains one of India’s most decorated and influential tennis players and a prominent sporting figure in South Asia.
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Recent Work

Retirement announcement and final tournament

Announced in January 2023 that she would retire from professional tennis after competing at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2023.

2023
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Career Highlights

  1. Turned pro in February 2003
  2. First Indian woman to win a WTA singles title (AP Tourism Hyderabad Open, 2005)
  3. WTA Newcomer of the Year (2005)
  4. Reached career-high singles ranking of No. 27 (27 August 2007)
  5. Reached No. 1 in WTA doubles (13 April 2015)
  6. Won 2015 Wimbledon women’s doubles with Martina Hingis
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sania Mirza born?

15 November 1986

What is Sania Mirza known for?

Tennis Player

What is Sania Mirza’s marital status?

Separated

Who is Sania Mirza married to?

Shoaib Malik (ex-husband)