Have to find a love interest first: Sania Mirza jibes at Kapil Sharma’s show

The tennis star will appear in ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ on Netflix

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, famous less for her prowess on the court than for her former marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, jokingly declared on Indian television that finding love again is not off the cards for her. 

Slated to appear on The Great Indian Kapil show on Netflix, a promo of Sania’s appearance has already been doing the rounds online where Sania drops a little aside about her love life. According to Hindustan Times, the upcoming episode of the show, this time centred around Indian women athletes, will also feature former boxer Mary Kom and badminton player Saina Nehwal. 

Host Kapil reminds Sania of Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan’s generous offer of playing her love interest onscreen should the need ever arise. “I have to find a love interest first!” responds Sania. 

Having once been one-half of one of the most famous cross-border power couples of the 2000s, Sania’s love life has unwittingly been under intense scrutiny far more than her tennis achievements. In January this year, Sania officially confirmed her separation from her ex-husband after, seemingly in a vacuum, Shoaib rocked the internet with wedding photos of him and actor Sana Javed. Sania and Shoaib share one son together. 

The unwanted attention, particularly in the wake of Shoaib’s shock wedding announcement earlier this year, may well be daunting, but the tennis star does not appear to let it show through on her social media persona, at least. Like her ex-husband, Sania often takes to Instagram to drop hints about her mental well-being, although she keeps details of her personal life under wraps. 

Three days ago, Sania posted a photo of herself sitting in contemplation. Accompanying the photo, Sania penned the caption, “No matter what, you always have to show up”, showcasing the mental fortitude of an athlete committed to discipline. Her army of fans showered the comments section with heart emojis and messages about how Sania had been an inspiration to them. One fan took it a step further and, in a show of solidarity, wrote, “You glow different when you leave a toxic man.”