Sania Mirza: I Need A Bit More Practice

Former World No. 1 Sania Mirza says she needs some more practice before getting back to competition after her loss at the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week.

Mirza and French partner Caroline Garcia went down to Saisai Zheng and Barbora Krejčíková in the round of 16 at the Dubai event on Wednesday. Mirza had suffered a calf injury while winning her comeback event in Hobart and had to cut short her Australian Open campaign.

Speaking to the Times of India, Mirza commented, "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. 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.”

Mirza said she is looking to become more match fit and practice. “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.  Sometimes, you have to hope that your body is feeling better and test it as you go along. The best part though is that I don’t feel anything with the actual tear.”

Mirza will next play the Qatar Open on Doha, with Garcia again this time. The duo meet Cagla Buyukakcay/ Laura Siegemund in the first round of the tournament.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/39ZONrQ