19 September,2015 08:27 AM IST | | AFP
Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik says success of wife - Indian tennis queen Sania Mirza - spurs him on, but also adds pressure
Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza
Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik on Thursday said his tennis star Indian wife Sania Mirza's success in the US Open has inspired him on the cricket field, but also put him under pressure.
Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza (Pic/AFP)
Sania won the ladies doubles in the US Open last week with Swiss partner Martina Hingis, the pair's second Grand Slam doubles title in a row following their triumph in Wimbledon.
In April, this year, Sania became the first Indian woman to attain the World No 1 ranking in doubles, alongside former Grand Slam singles champion Hingis.
Malik, who married Sania in a high-profile wedding in 2010, said his wife's win was both an inspiration as well as extra pressure ahead of Pakistan's Zimbabwe tour.
The pressure game...
"Her win in the US Open inspires me to do well on the tour of Zimbabwe," Malik told reporters.
"It also adds slight pressure to do well in cricket." Malik is part of Pakistan's Twenty20 and one-day squad for the tour starting September 27.
Pakistan will play two Twenty20 matches, on September 27 and 29, and three one-day internationals, on October 1, 3 and 5.
