Sania targets French Open return

Bengaluru, February 14: While admitting that injury can be frustrating at times, Sania Mirza hopes to make a comeback at least in time for the French Open.

The Indian tennis ace has been out of action since October due to a knee injury, forcing her to skip the season's first Grand Slam in Australia.

While speaking at a promotional event in New Delhi, Sania said though she has not set any time-frame for her comeback, the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris which begins at Roland Garros on May 27 is something which is on her radar.

Bye bye winters 💋❣️ pic.twitter.com/BtdnisVxsJ

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) February 13, 2018

"I don't really have a time frame (for recovery) right now, I can't put a date to it. Every day is battle for me. But French Open is in May end, hopefully I'll be back by then," she said.

Asked about the return of stalwarts like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to the circuit, Mirza said women's tennis has unbelievable depth.

"Women's tennis has never been a monopoly besides Serena. Apart from her it was always sort of anyone. It was only when Serena loses that it becomes wide open," she said.

"Women's tennis has unbelievable depths and therefore you see many low-ranked players defeating a world No 5 or a No 2. Serena will be back and I think she's the greatest tennis player we've ever had," she added.

The 31-year-old also said her priority is to stay healthy so that she can get back on the court.

"I'm not pain-free, but I'm not in pain all the time. It's called a Jumper's Knee. I've a growth on my knee as well. So, it's something that's a slow process. I need to wait it out and rest it out.

"For an injury like this, it has only been three and a half months, it'll probably take a couple of months. I wish I had a timeline on it. My immediate goal is to try and be healthy; to try to get back on the court," Sania said.

Talking about the future of tennis in India, the Hyderabadi, who has three Grand Slam doubles titles and as many mixed doubles crowns said that the country has exceptional talent to look forward to.

"There is Ankita Raina who had a couple of good wins at Fed Cup. There is Prarthana Thombare who plays at my academy in Hyderabad. There is Karman Kaur Thandi and she is really good. These are the girls that you're looking at in the future".

She also wished the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

"We've done really well at Commonwealth Games. We always come back with a lot of medals and I would like to wish them all the best. I hope that they come back with more than they did last time," Sania concluded.

(With Agency inputs)