‘He isn’t born into a normal family...I can’t pretend anymore’: Sania Mirza on raising son Izhaan after divorce
Former tennis star Sania Mirza has opened up about the most difficult phase of her life — a period marked by emotional turmoil after her separation from former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik — and how she continues to navigate single motherhood under the glare of relentless public scrutiny.
In the first episode of her new YouTube talk show, Serving It Up With Sania, the six-time Grand Slam winner spoke candidly about experiencing a panic attack on one of her lowest days. Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan rushed to her side without hesitation.
“I don't want to mention it on camera, but there was a moment that was one of the lowest moments when you (Farah Khan) showed up on my set and I had to go on a live show after that,” Sania recalled emotionally. “If you had not come there, I would have been shivering. And if you would not have come there I wouldn't have done that show.”
Farah remembered the distress she saw that day. “I got so scared. I had to shoot that day, but I just left everything and came here in my pyjamas and chappals,” she said, adding that she only wanted to ensure Sania did not feel alone.
She also praised her friend's resilience in raising her son, Izhaan, with strength and dignity: “It’s double the effort, and you’re doing it beautifully.”
Sania married Shoaib Malik in 2010, and the couple welcomed their son, Izhaan, in 2018. Their family confirmed the separation in early 2024.
The upheaval, however, did not overshadow Sania’s determination to create a grounded, emotionally secure environment for her son — even if that meant having conversations far earlier than she imagined.
Speaking to News18, Sania said that at just seven, Izhaan is already grappling with the weight of being a child born to “high-achieving parents.”
“I’ve already sat him down and spoken to him about the pressure that the world is going to impose on him. I’ve explained to him that it’s okay to lose and that it’s okay to not play a sport if he doesn’t want to,” she said.
Sania also acknowledged the complexities of trying to give her child a “normal” life when nothing about their world is normal. “I can’t be in denial and say that he’s a normal child.
He wasn’t born into a normal family,” she said, recalling how Izhaan once asked why strangers knew her name or wanted pictures.
While he now plays for the U-8 Juventus football team, Sania remains clear that expectations should never define his choices.
Between healing from personal heartbreak and raising a son in the public eye, Sania Mirza continues to show the quiet courage behind her celebrated career — a journey marked by strength, honesty, and an unyielding commitment to motherhood.