Sania Mirza has offered a candid look into her life as a single mother, admitting that raising her son Izhaan alone has been one of the toughest phases she has faced. The former tennis star, who married Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010 and welcomed their son in 2018, had her separation from Malik come to light in 2024 when her family disclosed that the marriage had ended quietly months before. In a conversation with Karan Johar, Sania reflected on the emotional and logistical challenges that come with parenting without a partner. “For me, single parenting is hard, and also because we are working and we do so many different things,” she said, explaining how her busy professional life adds another layer of difficulty. Karan offered his perspective, calling singlehood “liberating” at times since “you’re not at crossroads with anybody else”, but he acknowledged that Sania’s circumstances were far more complex. “Yours is cross border as well. You have a situation which is even more daunting and overwhelming,” he told her. Sania admitted that the toughest part of her routine is leaving Izhaan behind in Dubai whenever work brings her to India. “I find it challenging to leave him because I live in Dubai and I travel to India. That’s the biggest challenge for me to stay away for a period of one week. That for me, is the hardest part, anything else I’m fine with,” she said. She also opened up about the loneliness that often accompanies single parenthood. “Amount of times that I have skipped dinner because I didn’t want to eat alone. I think it helped me lose weight. I don’t feel like eating dinner. I would rather just watch something and sleep,” she shared. Sania retired from singles in 2013 and ended her illustrious tennis career with six Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, after spending a decade as India’s top-ranked singles player.
