UAE: Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik get Golden Visas

Dubai - Sania single-handedly put Indian women's tennis on the global map

Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, have been granted the 10-year UAE Golden Visa.

Sania single-handedly put Indian women's tennis on the global map, achieving a career-high singles ranking of 27.

Her best Grand Slam singles performance came at the 2005 US Open when she lost to top seed and the then world number one, Maria Sharapova, in the fourth round.

The 34-year-old player’s famous singles wins came over Grand Slam winners Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marion Bartoli, Martina Hingis and Victoria Azarenka.

A wrist injury forced her to quit singles and she went on to become a world number one in doubles, winning six Grand Slam titles (three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles).

Sania is now preparing for her fourth Olympics in Tokyo.

Malik, who married Sania in 2010, is a former Pakistan captain who has played 35 Tests, 287 one-day internationals and 116 T20 internationals.

Sania and Shoaib are the latest athletes to have received the UAE Golden Visa.

In 2019, the UAE established a new system for long-term residence visas. These Golden Visas are issued for 5 or 10 years and will be renewed automatically.

• India
• Pakistan