Sania Mirza plans March return in WTA events

With an eye on the Tokyo Olympics, Sania Mirza is hoping to make a competitive return to tennis by March.

The Indian tennis queen, who contracted COVID-19 earlier this month, has resumed training in Dubai, where she currently stays.

“I’m still in the process of recovery, post-COVID, and hope to get back to playing matches by the first week of March,” Sania told the SaachiBaat website.

Sania Mirza’s preparations may include flying to India next month to train at her academy in Hyderabad. She has also opted to continue working with father Imran Mirza as her coach.

Last month, Sania Mirza was considering playing at the Australian Open, which will begin February 8, but she tested positive for the coronavirus before she could make a decision.

Sania, however, only intends to return to competitive tennis if she is certain of her fitness.

“If I feel I’m ready, I could play in the Doha and Dubai WTA tournaments in March,” Sania said.

The Qatar Open in Doha runs from March 1 to 6 while the Dubai Tennis Championships is scheduled from March 7-13.

Sania Mirza was last seen in action in the March Fed Cup -- now called Billie Jean King Cup -- where she led India to their maiden playoffs.

She had returned to tennis earlier in 2020 following a long layoff -- first due to injury and then due to pregnancy -- at the Hobart International where she claimed the doubles title with Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok.

Sania later competed at the Australian Open but had to pull out during her opening doubles match due to injury. She later took part in the Fed Cup before the pandemic struck