"For everything to be taken away because of the virus, it's not easy" - 21-year-old Tanysha Dissanayake on being forced to retire post Covid

For 21-year-old British tennis player Tanysha Dissanayake, the dream of becoming the best in the world and bringing home famed silverware all feels like a memory from a distant past.

The youngster was quietly making her way up the ranks when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Her early diagnosis, however, hardly pointed towards anything out of the ordinary. But things went from bad to worse when the post-Covid complications restricted Dissanayake to bed for weeks.

With the prognosis failing to improve and the youngster struggling to cope with even simple daily activities, she announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 21. But if her recent interview with Skysports was anything to go by, it was the toughest decision of her life.

Recalling the sacrifices that she and her family made to realize her dream of becoming a professional tennis player, Dissanayake said that it was not something that one could ever prepare for.

"Since I was four years old, that has been my whole life. I've sacrificed a lot. My family have sacrificed a lot," Tanysha Dissanayake said. "It's all I ever wanted. So for that to be taken away just because of the virus, it's something that's not easy. It's not something anyone can ever prepare you for."

Dissanayake said tennis was no longer her first priority, but she was instead focusing on her recovery and being able to live like a "normal" 21-year-old again.

"Right now, tennis is not on my mind. I think I have to focus mostly on my recovery and being able to live like a normal 21-year-old again," Tanysha Dissanayake said.

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"My life is pretty much on hold right now" - Tanysha Dissanayake on battle with Covid

Tanysha Dissanayake in Tunisia.

Dissanayake said she leaves her house for an hour once every two weeks only to be forced to rest for the next five days in order to recover from the stress.

The youngster said she has had to give on everything that she loves, including her education and tennis, as Covid has brough ther entire life to a hold.

"I leave the house once every two weeks, only for an hour, and then it takes me five days to recover," Tanysha Dissanayake said. "I can't cook, I can't clean, I can't do anything. I have had to stop my education. I've had to stop playing tennis. I've had to stop everything I've ever known and loved."

"My life is pretty much on hold right now. A few months ago, I could barely even open my eyes to watch Netflix, so it's pretty different to how it used to be," she added.