The last time I took a break from tennis was some time back and it sure feels different to get up in the morning and not have to punish an already battered body. After a couple of commitments in Delhi and Mumbai, I got back to Hyderabad to rest and for medical treatment for my injuries. My doctor has advised a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks of rest and I’m hoping to resume practice on May 9. I intend to get back on the circuit from the Rome event on 15th but if the pain in my wrist, elbow or lower back persists, I will probably have to skip the tournament in Italy and resume from Istanbul on the 22nd. Ideally, I admit, not enough matches for a run-up to the Grand Slam in Roland Garros but there are things beyond one’s control. Of course, I’m enjoying the time spent with my family and friends but it does not take long to start missing the daily grind on the tennis courts, when one has been used to it for years. The red clay court has never been my favourite surface even in my junior days and there are definite reasons for this. But I always love a challenge and I am determined to prove a point to myself in the French Open this year. Of course, I am aware that coming into the Grand Slam after a break for multiple injuries may prove a difficult obstacle to handle, particularly on clay, where fitness plays such an important role. The problem with injury is that one has to wait it out until it has healed almost completely before one can work on strengthening a weak part of the body. Tennis is a physically demanding game and every single one of the top 100 players on the circuit is struggling with some injury or the other but I cannot help feeling that I could have achieved a lot more if I had strengthened my body through proper conditioning at the time when I was still a developing junior. Lack of first-hand experience and knowledge amongst the physical trainers on international level tennis-specific conditioning at the time when I was growing up in India did not help the players of my generation. The young upcoming players of the future need to be properly guided on this front if we are to continue to make progress in this highly competitive sport. (PMG/Globosport)
