"It was always an honour for me to be on the court with Serena, I'm also impressed by Andy Murray's story" - Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki has drawn inspiration from Serena Williams and Andy Murray for their passion for the sport after recovering from a knee injury that kept her out of action for more than a year.

Lisicki, 32, suffered a career-threatening knee injury at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Austria in November 2020. Playing doubles with her British partner Jodie Burrage, Lisicki fell awkwardly on her knee and tore her anterior cruciate ligament.

The German made her competitive return in May this year after a long rehabilitation.

In an interview with SPOX, Lisicki revealed that she took inspiration from Williams and Murray, who made successful comebacks from long-term injuries.

"There are many of the still active players who serve as inspiration. For example, it was always an honour for me to be on the court with Serena. I loved playing against them. You always had to unpack your very best tennis to have a chance. And then I'm also impressed by Andy Murray's story," said Lisicki.

Murray returned from hip-replacement surgery four years ago, reaching two finals this year. Williams, meanwhile, made her competitive singles return at Wimbledon this year, exactly a year after she injured her foot at SW19 in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

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"I never had any doubts; I always knew it would only be a matter of time" - Sabine Lisicki on her return to tour

Sabine Lisicki at the Tennis Team Challenge In Karlsruhe

Sabine Lisicki has said that during her long absence on tour, she was quietly optimistic about her successful return.

However, she did admit that not everything was always smooth sailing. She couldn't lift her operated leg for weeks and tennis was the last thing on her mind at that point, as she only wanted to walk normally again.

"I couldn't lift my operated leg for four weeks," remisiced Lisicki. "If you suddenly lose control of your leg, you get scared. A few days ago, you were sprinting around, and suddenly you can't move your leg - that was the worst moment. At that moment, tennis was so far away. I just wanted to be able to walk normally again."

However, she added that she knew it was only a 'matter of time' before she would be back on the court.

"I never had any doubts. I always knew it would only be a matter of time. But that doesn't mean there weren't hard moments. I'm a person who doesn't really have much patience - that was one of the biggest challenges for me."

The 2013 Wimbledon finalist made the quarterfinals at Bad Homburg last month, losing to Caroline Lisicki.

The World No. 407 is set to enter qualifying at the Hamburg European Open as she strives to climb to the top echelons of women's tennis again.