Was unsure about returning to court after gaining 23kg during pregnancy: Sania

Mumbai: Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has opened up about her time during pregnancy and how she felt she could never return to the court again.

Sania, who married Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010, gave birth to baby boy Izhaan in October, 2018. After that in January, 2020, she made a return to tennis circuit and won the doubles title at the WTA Hobart International 2020 with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok.

"Pregnancy and having a baby made me a better person," said Sania in an open letter - 'An Ode to All Mothers' after watching 'Being Serena' on Discovery Plus.

"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," she added.

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

"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," said the 34-year-old.

Lastly, the Indian tennis star -- while depicting her transformation journey and the sheer joy of being on the court -- said, "Having put on around 23kg 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," she added.