Chinappa happy to get back on court, says health and being injury-free key for 2028 Olympics
After winning the mixed doubles title with her partner Abhay Singh at the HCL National doubles squash championship on Wednesday, Joshna Chinappa expressed happiness being back on the court and playing again with her friends and teammates after the knee surgery she underwent in December.
She added that she is still rehabilitating and focused on getting back to full fitness.
“It’s been interesting because I wasn’t sure I would ever get back on the court again. My surgeon and my physios were very confident that I would come back to play. I had the surgery in December on my knee. I moved to Bengaluru for the last five months. I worked with my physio Yash Pandey and his team there.
“Just training day in and day out, hours and hours in the gym, getting stronger. And when I heard this tournament was coming up, I was like, it’s a good motivation. Otherwise, just going to the gym and training without having a goal felt quite challenging.
“I was quite excited to see if I could play and be fit enough to play. And literally, three days ago, the physio said, ‘Okay, you can get on court. But don’t push yourself too hard, because you’re not fully ready.’ I only heard ‘You can get back on court.’
“It was a fun few days here. More than that, I’m just so happy to play squash again. Winning, obviously, is special. But just to get on the court, hit the ball, play with friends, play with my teammates, that’s what squash is for me. That’s the joy I get out of it. And I’m just so happy to play again,” she said.
Expressing her desire to compete in both singles and doubles, Chinappa said: “Right now, I’m just trying to get back to full fitness. Because I’m not there yet. I’m still in rehab for my surgery. And once I’m fully fit in a few weeks, I’ll take a call on what singles tournaments to play.”
She mentioned that participating in the Asian doubles championships in July is a goal and expressed the need to be at the best of her game to compete against strong players from countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan.
Asked if she has set her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its Olympic debut, she said: “I just tell everyone that I’m trying to get through May, this month. There’s always something happening that I’m like, ‘Just stay grounded and just focus on the present.’
“But yes, of course, LA 2028 would be amazing. I’m just looking forward to being healthy, fit, injury-free. And if that happens, then anything is possible.”