It's very hard because of the uncertainty: Joshna

Joshna Chinappa has experienced a hankering to return to the squash court once before. It was when she tore her ACL (anterior crucial ligament) in 2012. She was out of action for 10 months then.

This time, by admission, the 18-time national champion is at her fittest - reflective in her jump to No.10 in the latest issue of world rankings - and yet, all she can do is attach therapeutic significance to household chores while hoping for the Covid-19 pandemic to subside.

“Initially, it was fine because as an athlete you console yourself, saying it’s the break you deserve, and that it’s all going to return to normal soon,” Joshna tells DH. “…but after the first few weeks, it became very hard because of all the uncertainty. Trying to stay fit in a small space isn’t easy. More importantly, you don’t even know what you’re training for. Usually, you have a tournament, a goal you’re working towards. This time, there isn’t one, but you do it because you don’t want to start from scratch when the sport returns.”

Going by Professional Squash Association’s announcement from a few of weeks ago, the tour should restart mid-August. By that, Joshna, who last played in Egypt in March before hurrying back to India upon news of the virus outbreak, will have not have played in five months. She, however, reckoned it’s going to be a lot longer before resumption.

“It will take some time to get back, especially a sport like squash because there is quite a bit of contact with the opponent. There are so many guidelines which need to be followed if we’re back to competing again,” says the 33-year-old.

“I don’t see us returning to the court till October or November, and even then it will be vastly different from what it used to be.” she adds.

While the PSA has remained tight-lipped about its SOPs, Joshna offered glimpses, saying the tour is likely to enforce stringent testing measures and play without crowds.

“I also think they will host several tournaments in one location. What that does is keep all the players and support staff in one area. This way we can be monitored better,” she says. “Even then there will be a fear among athletes to compete. It’s going to be difficult to break away from that but I think we should just get on with it.

“I don’t think we’re properly safe until they come up with a vaccine, but we can’t endlessly wait for that to start living once again,” she opined.