HYDERABAD: It is final. Sania Mirza’s game stands at Love all. Muhammad Sohrab Mirza, the tall, lanky, boyish lad who is all set to make Sania his begum, today made a fleeting appearance before the TV cameras in Hyderabad. The 23-year-old commerce student from St Mary’s is the son of Adil Mirza and Noor Begum, the owners of the Universal Bakers chain in Hyderabad.
Sohrab was captured by cameras at his Anandnagar residence in Khairatabad. The family also owns a home in Banjara Hills.
Sania’s father Imran Mirza who is accompanying his daughter as she plays in the French Open on Friday sent out an e-mail to senior journalists confirming her engagement.
“This is to confirm that Sania Mirza is engaged to Muhammad Sohrab Mirza, whose family hails from the city of Hyderabad. Although not related, the two families have had friendly ties for several decades.
However, the wedding is not expected to take place for a while,” Imran Mirza said. "I would like to state that the news appearing in certain sections of the media about the two maternal grandmothers having fixed the liaison is baseless. It has also been wrongly projected that Sania is contemplating early retirement from tennis. These reports are absolutely untrue,” he said.
Sohrab’s father Adil has two brothers - Kamran Mirza and Nariman.
All the three are into real estate in a big way. Adil Mirza is also known to be a horse breeder while Nariman breeds dogs. The famous Lucky restaurant at Lakdi-ka-Pul is owned by the Mirza family.
Earlier this week, Sania was knocked out in the very first round in the Singles at French Open. She, however, continues to play in the doubles and mixed doubles matches. Sania’s wrist injury has been bothering her off and on and she even underwent a knee surgery in a Hyderabad hospital last year. Injuries have been the bane of Sania’s career. She often shines better on the US and Australian circuits. Her father Imran himself admits that Sania is a better doubles player.
Sania’s sizzling looks have won her several admirers across the globe. Her tongue-in-cheek remarks and nose rings have been a staple style statement. She has had several film offers, all of which she rejected. Meanwhile, Tennis experts say that given the current fitness levels, Sania would be able to play internationally for two more years at the most.
This would suit Sohrab as well since he has got admission into a UK college where he plans to do his MBA.