Sania Mirza to make comeback before 2020 Olympics

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza says she will be back on the court in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Mirza who recently announced that she is expecting her first child with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik said she wants to set an example that people shouldn’t give up dreams just because they’re pregnant, in an interview with IANS.

"It was just about time... I was down with my knee injury anyway and we had been thinking about it for a while... We thought it was a good time to start a family and experience this new phase of our lives,” Mirza said.

The 31-year-old has been sidelined since October with a knee injury. She has slipped from number one in the world doubles ranking — the first for an Indian woman — to 24.

“I haven’t played since mid-October, so it has been a solid six months and more. Rest was something everyone was recommending... So, I won’t say it’s perfect, but it’s better,” Mirza said when asked about her knee.

However, a bad knee will not be stopping the tennis star from eyeing glory at the next Olympics in Tokyo.

“The 2020 Olympics is a long way off. I’ve said this many times that as tennis players, we wish we knew what our lives brought us tomorrow. Having said that though, it definitely looks very doable right now. But one has to wait and watch where life really takes you. Most definitely, I would say coming back to playing is priority as soon as the pregnancy is done,” she added. 

The tennis star also added that the most important thing for is to make a comeback. 

"Of course, my kid is very important in my life right now, but after that, I would like to come back to playing because it’s an example I’d like to set for my kid as well that you don’t give up on your dreams just because you’re pregnant,” Mirza added.