Injury and Marriage Hubbub, are Out of the Way and Mirza is Back on Court

Sania Mirza is delighted to be back on a tennis court again after a three months absence enforced by a wrist injury and notable because of the tumultuous world wide focus on the Indian star’s marriage to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik.
 
Mirza this week made her comeback to competition in England at the AEGON Classic at Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham. After winning her initial match the 23 year-old lost out to Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand. But she is delighted the main focus is on her tennis again.
 
Referring to the two week build up to her wedding that gripped to the two bordering nations and made news around the world, she said: “It’s one thing being in the limelight but this was something else. It was in our face 24 hours a day for two weeks.
 
“It was very hard. There’s always two sides to a story, but no one wanted to know Shoaib’s. Once April 12 was over, it all ended and we were both free to continue with our lives”.
 
Malik’s one-year ban, imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board for ‘poor performances and being a negative influence on the team’ was overturned next month and he is likely to make his international comeback in the upcoming Test series against England.
 
Consequently the couple, who maintain Dubai is now their home, will be based in Britain for the next few months and her mind is very much on Wimbledon although she is unsure whether her recuperating wrist will allow her to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
 
“I had surgery on it two years ago and that led to another problem,” she said. “I really need to be careful — it’s very much a case of managing it rather than fixing it, so I’ll probably skip the doubles for the time being.”
 
But Mirza categorically denied reports circulating that she intended to quit the game before her 25th birthday and concentrate of raising a family. “I have absolutely no plans to retire in the foreseeable future,” she said. “People have made that up.”