'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
Former world number one doubles player, Sania Mirza, has given insights on her calf injury, which she picked up soon after returning from a maternal break. Mirza stayed out of action for four weeks but now seems to have recovered to full fitness.
The background
Sania had been away from the tennis court for nearly three years before she made her comeback at the Hobart International earlier this year. The Indian tennis star had achieved a lot of success on the WTA tour, especially in the doubles category where she formed a splendid partnership with Martina Hingis.
The heart of the matter
Talking to TOI on Saturday (22nd February), Sania spoke about her injury and said:
“Coming back from injury is tougher mentally than physically, because it’s not so much the pain itself as the fear of another pull, a strain, a tear, given that the memory of the setback is still fresh.”
She further discussed how injuries have had a major impact on her game and continued:
“It hurts on the step after the serve, when you want to put pressure, go full throttle or when I’m reacting, pushing to the right side. The tear doesn’t hurt, it’s the muscles around it that haven’t been used or strengthened enough that is a concern.”
When asked about her practice sessions, the doubles specialist replied:
“I need a bit more practice. It has been like five-six weeks and I have hit for only six-seven days in that time. I’ve been able to do more physical stuff, but still you need to hit more balls, to get the feel. It’s normal to feel like that after an injury. I would’ve liked to have got a full week of practice before Dubai."
Mirza signed off by pointing out that sometimes the players have to hope that the body is feeling better and they need to keep on testing it going forward.
What's next?
Sania Mirza is competing on the WTA tour but she will soon be representing India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics along with Rohan Bopanna. It will be interesting to see if the Indian duo can capture a medal for the nation.
