Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza are expecting their first child which is due in October this year, according to media reports on Monday.
The Indian tennis star took to Twitter and teased her fans by posting a photograph that says, “Mirza Malik.”
#BabyMirzaMalik ??❤️ pic.twitter.com/RTYpqok1Vl
— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) April 23, 2018
According to Indian media, her father Imran Mirza confirmed that the baby is due in October. “Yes, it is true,” he responded to the question.
Sania had a hinted earlier in an interview that her child’s surname would be Mirza Malik. Now Sania has tweeted an image which more or less confirmed her pregnancy. The same picture has also been tweeted by her cricketer husband Shoaib Malik.
The couple celebrated their eighth marriage anniversary a few days back on April 12. The 31-year-old Indian tennis superstar is currently out of action due to a jumper knee injury.
Sania had stated in an interview that she would want a daughter whenever she decides to start a family, adding that her child’s surname would be Mirza Malik.
Talking in a panel discussion, she said, “Today I will tell you a secret. My husband and I have spoken about it and we have decided that whenever we have a child, the child will have Mirza Malik as a surname and not just Malik. So that’s where we stand as a family including my husband. He actually wants a daughter.”
Sania spoke about her personal experiences of gender discrimination, where she has heard some of her relatives telling her parents that they should have had a son so that the family name continues.
“We are two sisters and have never wished that we had a brother. I have had fights with my uncles and aunts, who talk about it or come up and tell my parents that they should have had a son. For us, daughters are daughters and there was nothing like wanting a son to carry the family name forward,” the 31-year-old said.
“I have not changed my surname (post marriage) and my name is still Sania Mirza and it will remain that way. The family name is going to go forward,” she said.