Former Pakistan cricket team’s captain Shoaib Malik took to Twitter on Friday to praise his wife, tennis star Sania Mirza, as the latter bowed out of Grand Slam tennis.
Mirza suffered a defeat in Australian Open final, accompanied by Rohan Bopanna. The pair lost 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 to Brazilian duo Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos.
The 36-year-old was in tears at the post-match ceremony following the tense match at Melbourne Park.
Mirza, with her reputation as a convention-breaker in the court, will retire from tennis after a tournament in Dubai next month.
“You are the much needed hope for all the women in sports. Super proud of you for all you have achieved in your career,” Malik said on his Twitter handle.
“You’re an inspiration for many, keep going strong. Many congratulations on an unbelievable career,” he added.
Mirza, who is currently dealing with a calf injury, had planned to quit the sport at the end of the 2022 season but couldn’t due to an elbow injury in August, which ruled her out of the US Open.
“Honestly, the person that I am, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don’t want to be forced out by injury. So I’ve been training,” she was quoted at saying at the time.
Last month, rumours of a rift between former Pakistan cricket skipper Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza made rounds on social media.
In this regard, a bio on the former captain’s official Instagram and Twitter quickly gathered the attention of the fans.
In the bio, Malik introduced himself as “husband to a superwoman” Sania Mirza. This brought some relief to the fans worried that the two may part ways soon.
Earlier, it a Gulf newspaper reported that the couple had parted ways after 12 years of marriage. The two stars, however, have not spoken publicly about any differences that they may have developed.
When Malik was asked about it during a recent show, he termed it a personal matter which ‘concerned him and his spouse’.
He had then requested the host to skip the question, saying the couple did not intend to talk about it.
