'I gained 23 kg during pregnancy, wasn't sure about playing again'

Picture Courtesy/ Sania Mirza's official Instagram

It has been an eventful return for Sania Mirza after embracing motherhood and giving birth to baby boy Izhaan, by winning the very first doubles title in January 2020 after nearly a two-year break from the sport. The Doubles title at the WTA Hobart International 2020 with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok also cemented the fact that she has put in the hard yards to be back at 100% and begin her second innings right from the point where she left it.

The winner of six grand slam titles and Padma Bhusan recipient, recently watched "Being Serena" on Discovery Plus and couldn't resist herself from relating to Serena after watching the documentary - an eloquent tale of the very best in women's tennis overcoming all hurdles to make a comeback to supremacy on the court while trying to strike a balance with her role as a mother.

Sania, who has had a similar journey over the past two years and has seen the US-based women's tennis legend from the close quarters, went on to pen an open letter to share her own emotions of motherhood and what it takes to defy all odds and make a comeback to the sport they both love. She also dedicated the letter to all ‘Mothers' who are faced with similar dilemmas in their everyday life.

Screenshots to other well-known actresses like Anushka Sharma, Samantha Akkineni etc, who are also appreciating to Sania Mirza for the letter. In the open letter - "An Ode to All Mothers", Sania said: "Pregnancy and having a baby made me a better person" "Pregnancy is something that I had experienced for the first time in my life. I thought about it and I think we all have a certain picture about it but once you experience it, you really understand what it means. It absolutely changes you as a human being."

Later came the part to overcome the physical obstacles and get back to her earlier self to make a comeback to the court.

Mirza said, "Getting back to shape and form after pregnancy can be a challenge and I can relate to Serena and every other woman on that. I think it's normal for everyone because you don't know how your body is going to react post-pregnancy and during pregnancy."

Lastly, the Indian tennis star while depicting her transformation journey and the sheer joy of being on the court said, "Having put-on around 23kgs during my pregnancy, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to get back to being fit and playing tennis again. However, I lost around 26 kilos with a lot of workout regimes and very strict diets and came back to tennis because that's what I know, love and do. Finally, when I won at Hobart after coming back it was pretty amazing. I was honestly very proud of myself to have been able to put myself to compete at the highest level again and I think that's where I was mentally."

'Keep scrolling to read more news'

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever