Stirling grad and Scotland’s number one female tennis player Maia Lumsden made a winning return on her competitive comeback.
A year ago, she didn’t have the energy to get out of bed.
Twelve months ago, Lumsden was bed-bound; after she was diagnosed with long Covid, she feared she wouldn’t be able to return to the sport.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to get back and do it as a career,” said Lumsden.
“I was struggling to imagine myself on the court even for fun because I was feeling so bad.”
The Glaswegian tennis ace tried different approaches to try and speed up her recovery.
“I avoided certain foods and tried acupuncture, which is meant to help with energy. It did help some of my symp- toms,” said Lumsden.
“The best thing was just mak- ing sure I was resting and not doing too much, which is quite tough.”
The 24-year-old marked her return as she won in her first competition back in the UK Pro League at Warwick Uni- versity. In the final, Lumsden defeated Marni Banks 6-2 3-6 10-4.
Lumsden said: “It feels great to be back on court. I miss those competitive feelings you get in a match. That feel- ing of winning felt good.
“The last year has been tough; not having that feeling of being able to compete in compe- titions hasn’t been easy.
“It just feels great to be back, playing the game that I love.”
Lumsden revealed she had no real expectations as she re- turned to competitive tennis after eighteen months away.
“In practice I was playing quite well, but I didn’t have any expectations in terms of results,” said the Stirling University Masters student.
“The only goal was to try and complete the matches.
“I didn’t want to put any pres- sure on results when you’ve been out for that long.”
Lumsden’s time away from the game she loves has made her reflect on her tennis ca- reer and the challenges she’s faced.
“I’m far more grateful to be able to actually play.
“I think going through something like this changes your mindset. I appreciate it more and try to enjoy each day and not think about results or anything like that. I’m just appreciating being healthy once again.” Said Lumsden
Lumsden reached her highest WTA ranking of 250 in October 2019, the season before the pandemic. The Scot has high hopes for the summer season, but she is realistic: “After this tournament I plan to try and play some ITFs.
“I’m not trying to set goals too far in advance; I’m just taking every day in the week as it comes and see how I get on week by week.”
Feature Image Credit: – Maia Lumsden Instagram
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