The Love Story Of A Champion

    • Team NIE
    • Publish Date: Jul 13 2016 1:43PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Jul 13 2016 1:43PM
The Love Story Of A Champion

In a new autobiography, the World No. 1 doubles player gets candid about her cross-border wedding.

It was in the beautiful little city of Hobart in early 2010, that my life went through a dramatic twist. That evening, my dad, trainer Len and I walked into an Indian restaurant located on the waterfront. A little later, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik entered, looking for a table, and came towards the corner where we were sitting. He said hello and then approached our table to pay his respects to my father. I had met Shoaib earlier, though very briefly. A journalist had introduced us in the gym of a hotel in New Delhi, a few years back when Pakistan was playing a series in India.
When Shoaib expressed interest in watching me play the next evening, I arranged some tickets for him. He came, accompanied by a couple of his teammates. After the match, my father invited the boys for dinner and while the others had a prior engagement, Shoaib accepted the offer.
We stayed in touch on the phone while travelling for our matches to different cities in Australia. The first thing that drew me towards him was his simplicity. He seemed totally unaffected by his fame. Soon we were talking about almost everything under the sun and realised that we got along rather well.
A couple of months later, Shoaib asked me to marry him. He is not a dramatic person and his proposal was as simple as it can get. He told me that regardless of when it happened, he wanted to marry me. I liked this side of him a lot, as I am a no-fuss person myself.
Many months later, when we were finally married and enjoying a pleasant evening together, I wondered out loud to him, ‘Imagine if you hadn’t come to that restaurant that day. We would have never even met.’ That’s when he told me it wasn’t entirely by chance that he had stepped into the restaurant in Hobart that fateful evening.
One of his teammates, who was already in the restaurant, had called Shoaib to tell him that I was dining there. Shoaib, who had earlier decided against eating out, came rushing. He said, ‘This time I was determined to get your number.’ We still joke about it, knowing it wasn’t just ‘chance’ that brought us together.
The decision to get married came naturally to me. I was relatively conservative when it came to marriage. I didn’t think it was important for us to date for a long period before deciding. Also, it was getting more difficult for us to keep our relationship under wraps. We did manage for a while though, which is why when it became public, it was a shock to everyone.
I was conscious of the fact that Shoaib belonged to a country which had serious political differences with us. But I had grown up on the tennis circuit where I shared close friendships over the years with people of diverse religions, races and backgrounds from scores of different countries across the globe.I think this experience has broadened my horizons to the extent that I can comfortably embrace relationships on a personal level beyond these constraints. As athletes, you forget such boundaries.
Our plan to keep things under wraps till Shoaib reached India did not quite work out. Murmurs about the impending wedding broke out in the media a few days before his arrival.
Shoaib arrived in Hyderabad from Dubai on 4 April. He did his best to avoid being recognised, but he completely forgot that the bag he was carrying had ‘Pakistan Cricket Team – Shoaib Malik’ emblazoned on it in bold letters! 

This is an excerpt from ‘Ace against Odds’ courtesy HarperCollins India . 

 

More From BOOKMARK...

POST YOUR OWN ARTICLE, PHOTO & VIDEO

SIMPLY FILL DETAILS & POST


 
SIGN UP & EXPLORE MORE...
*


*
* *
* *
img
REGISTRATION SUCCESSFUL...
THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING
  • About Us

Times Newspaper in Education (Times NIE) is a novel program that helps students ‘Stay Ahead’ and aims at making ‘Learning Fun’. It introduces concepts that help individual growth and development beyond school curriculum.

A brainchild of The Times of India, the world’s leading English newspapers, Times NIE nurtures progress and innovation. Adapted from the international concept, Times Newspaper in Education program (Times NIE) was initiated in India in 1985.

Today we have over 3000 schools and over 9 lac students subscribing to the programme, spanning 16 cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Jaipur.

The Times of India Student edition, a customized student newspaper exclusively for the students, packs a powerful punch in terms of content that leads to a smarter and superior learning experience. The information is crafted such that it finds use in classroom discussions, thus making it relevant and current. It truly gives education a new dimension by fostering the simple habit of reading which in turn paves the way for a confident, informed and aware individual. A newspaper that inspires young minds and equips them to face challenges of today’s world, making way for global citizens.

Empowering students with new cutting-edge knowledge through various educative and informative activities is a commitment and tradition of Times NIE. The programme serves as a catalyst of education and interaction, as well as a window into the minds of the quintessential Indian youth. On a significant scale Times NIE comprises diverse interesting activities and events that boost the child’s passion for learning, while revealing hidden talent.

While you are aware that The Times of India is among the leading English Newspapers across the world, it has consummated its position as an everlasting winner. With several international awards and recognitions to its credit, The Times of India and Times NIE have validated an enduring tradition of setting the highest benchmarks in every respect. We have been awarded with the two most prestigious awards, Times NIE - World’s No.1 NIE program and The Times of India, Student Edition - World’s No.1 Newspaper for the youth in 2006 by the celebrated World Association of Newspapers (WAN). In 2008 we were honoured by the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA), yet another international recognition for ‘Youth Audience Development’. In 2013 we were again honoured by the celebrated World Association of Newspapers (WAN) as the ‘Times NIE - World’s Best Youth Engagement Program’.

Times NIE has grown remarkably over the last three and a half decades, touching millions of children across more than 16 Indian cities. Our absolute commitment towards the fledgling generation remains undiluted and our greatest strength lies in the school partnership and commitment.

  • Times NIE World Awards
EDIT STUDENT PROFILE...



img

JOIN NOW !!!

Create or join groups, share your views, ideas through posts (Text, Pictures & Videos)

GOT A QUERY?

FEEL FREE TO ASK HERE. GET IT ANSWERED BY EXPERTS

CLICK HERE TO SEE YOUR PREVIOUS QUERIES

win

Why You Think India Is Great....