Tennis champion Sania Mirza has had an illustrious career as she has achieved path-breaking honours. She said she has “nothing to prove” in her second innings as she plans to return to the court after maternity break which is likely to begin by January 2020.
She has been training rigorously to make a comeback to competitive tennis for more than two years after becoming a mother. The 32-year-old now trains about four hours a day and has lost 26 kilos in the process.
Before pregnancy, Sania won six doubles Grand Slam titles — including three mixed —achieved the number one rank
“In my career, I have achieved everything which I could have dreamt of. And whatever happens next will be a bonus for me. I thought I will be able to comeback by August but probably by January, it looks like a possibility,” Sania told PTI in an interview.
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“Having (son) Izhan is the biggest blessing I could have. If I am able to come back, it will be amazing. He's (son) my inspiration to get back to being fit. If I do comeback, it will not be to prove anything. The only reason to comeback would be that I love playing and competing.”
When asked about why she is not certain about her comeback, the tennis players replied, “I say so because I still have to see how my body reacts. The picture will be clear in the next two months. I don't want to compete when I am not ready. There is no point in coming back and getting injured.”
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Talking about the American star Serena Williams and how she remains a fierce competitor at number nine in the world after becoming a mother, Sania expressed, “There is enough self-motivation to come back but it's nice to see people like Serena competing at Grand Slams after having a baby. It's obviously very inspiring.”
Sania further elaborated on the time she has taken for planning her comeback. Sania said she is past a knee issue now but still needs more time to compete in the physically demanding pro circuit. “I have been able to get back to being as strong as I was before, which is great. But I still have a bit of knee issue. It has not gone away completely. I had this knee injury even when before I got pregnant that's why I had stopped playing at the end of 2017. It's not bad but still there, lingering,” she added.
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“I train about three-four hours a day in two sessions with fitness and with tennis it's more than that. Initially the focus was on losing weight but now it's back to same rigorous sessions I was having before.”
Talking about her training and results, Sania said, “I train about three-four hours a day in two sessions with fitness and with tennis it's more than that. Initially the focus was on losing weight but now it's back to same rigorous sessions I was having before.”
“I did not know how the body was going to react. You can't actually anticipate after giving birth to a baby. I put on 23 kilos, I lost 26 kilos now. I am trying to become strong and to play at international level, I still need time,” she claimed.
Sania is now working with her Australian trainer Robert for a few months in Dubai. She further said, “There is no goal. Whatever happens in life hereon, regarding tennis, it will be just a plus. Once I make that comeback, I will see where I stand as an athlete. Right now I just want to make a comeback.” “Expectations are high as usual but I have not played tennis in the last two years. If I can make a comeback, Tokyo (Olympics) is something I am looking at.”
Feature Image Credit: The Hindu
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