Tennis sensation Sania Mirza recently offered an intimate glimpse into her life as a mother, revealing the deeply personal aspects of her pregnancy, breastfeeding struggles, and the motivations behind stepping away from professional sports. In an honest exchange with podcaster Masoom Minawala, Sania explained that a major factor influencing her retirement—besides her physical limitations—was the desire to be present for her young son during his crucial developmental years.
“One of the core reasons I stepped back was to dedicate more time to my son. He’s now at an age where his emotional stability depends on the presence of a parent, especially with school and routine life. I didn’t want to regret missing out on these years. I had chased my professional dreams long enough, and I felt fulfilled. This part of my life—being a mother—was also something I had always wished for,” she said.
Sania recounted the emotional challenge of being separated from her baby for the first time. “The first time I left Izhaan, he was just six weeks old. I had to attend an event in Delhi, and that flight was one of the most emotionally exhausting moments of my life. I was overwhelmed, though I knew many mothers go through it. Still, the guilt was intense. We burden ourselves with unnecessary emotional weight—what people now call ' mom guilt',” she admitted.
She continued by sharing how taking that step made her stronger. “I boarded a morning flight while still nursing him. I had to pump milk on the plane—it was incredibly inconvenient. But I’m grateful I pushed through. That trip proved to me that I could go out and still come back to find everything okay. It made future separations easier. I went to Delhi and returned the same evening. Both my son and I managed just fine, even though there were tears.”
Her mother played a key role in encouraging her. “My mom told me, ‘You’re overthinking. He’s a baby—he won’t even realize you’re gone.’ She gave me the nudge I needed.”
While pregnancy was a joyous phase, Sania confessed that breastfeeding was especially taxing. “I breastfed for nearly three months, but emotionally, it was overwhelming. I’d be okay being pregnant again, but feeding? That was the hardest. The emotional load, the time constraints, the exhaustion—it was relentless.”
Eventually, she told her pediatrician she couldn’t continue. “He advised another month, but I told him I was losing my sanity. The pressure of being someone’s sole nourishment was heavier than anything I experienced during pregnancy.”
Sania also noted that she stayed physically active until the end, even playing tennis the night before her son was born on October 30, 2018. Just three weeks later, she resumed her fitness training.
Following her divorce from Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik—who remarried actress Sana Javed in 2024—her family broke their silence. Sania’s sister Anam confirmed on social media that Sania had taken a khula—a woman-initiated divorce in Islam—months earlier. Respecting Sania’s choice, Anam urged everyone to honor her privacy.
“One of the core reasons I stepped back was to dedicate more time to my son. He’s now at an age where his emotional stability depends on the presence of a parent, especially with school and routine life. I didn’t want to regret missing out on these years. I had chased my professional dreams long enough, and I felt fulfilled. This part of my life—being a mother—was also something I had always wished for,” she said.
Sania recounted the emotional challenge of being separated from her baby for the first time. “The first time I left Izhaan, he was just six weeks old. I had to attend an event in Delhi, and that flight was one of the most emotionally exhausting moments of my life. I was overwhelmed, though I knew many mothers go through it. Still, the guilt was intense. We burden ourselves with unnecessary emotional weight—what people now call ' mom guilt',” she admitted.
She continued by sharing how taking that step made her stronger. “I boarded a morning flight while still nursing him. I had to pump milk on the plane—it was incredibly inconvenient. But I’m grateful I pushed through. That trip proved to me that I could go out and still come back to find everything okay. It made future separations easier. I went to Delhi and returned the same evening. Both my son and I managed just fine, even though there were tears.”
Her mother played a key role in encouraging her. “My mom told me, ‘You’re overthinking. He’s a baby—he won’t even realize you’re gone.’ She gave me the nudge I needed.”
While pregnancy was a joyous phase, Sania confessed that breastfeeding was especially taxing. “I breastfed for nearly three months, but emotionally, it was overwhelming. I’d be okay being pregnant again, but feeding? That was the hardest. The emotional load, the time constraints, the exhaustion—it was relentless.”
Eventually, she told her pediatrician she couldn’t continue. “He advised another month, but I told him I was losing my sanity. The pressure of being someone’s sole nourishment was heavier than anything I experienced during pregnancy.”
Sania also noted that she stayed physically active until the end, even playing tennis the night before her son was born on October 30, 2018. Just three weeks later, she resumed her fitness training.
Following her divorce from Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik—who remarried actress Sana Javed in 2024—her family broke their silence. Sania’s sister Anam confirmed on social media that Sania had taken a khula—a woman-initiated divorce in Islam—months earlier. Respecting Sania’s choice, Anam urged everyone to honor her privacy.
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