Former world No.1 doubles player Sania Mirza has confirmed that she will miss a further two months of the tour as she continues rehabilitation on her knee.
The 31-year-old hasn’t played on the tour since October after revealing that she is suffering from a condition called ‘jumper’s knee.’ An inflammation or injury of the patellar tendon in the knee. Giving an update on her injury, Mirza has not undergone surgery as there is no guarantee that will be effective. Leaving her to play a waiting game with no firm indication about when she will be able to return to the tour.
“It will take a couple of more months. I don’t want to get into technicalities of it but even if there was a surgery there is no guarantee that it is going to get better. It’s basically pain that I need to manage,” Mirza recently told reporters.
“It got out of hand so I had to take time off. I could not take pain killers anymore. It is getting better. It’s frustrating because you have to rest and do rehab.”
Despite the lengthy absence from the tour, the Indian player is confident that it will not have a negative impact on her career when she returns. Mirza has spent a total of 91 weeks as world No.1 in doubles, winning six grand slam titles. She was also an accomplished singles player before switching her focus to the doubles. During 2005 she won the Bangalore Open and reached a high of 26th in the world.
“I turned Pro in 2003. It’s a very demanding life away from family and loved ones in a hotel room. I had a pretty long career.” She explained.
“Do I think that these four months are going to make a difference in my career? No, in larger perspective. I have to take positives out of it.”
It is unclear if Mirza will be ready in time to compete in the French Open, which will get underway on May 28th. She is a two-time winner at Roland Garros, claiming the women’s doubles title in 2011 followed by the mixed doubles crown in 2012. She hasn’t missed the tournament since 2010.
Mirza, who has won over $6.9 million in prize money during her career, is currently the 14th highest ranked doubles player.
