The year has certainly not gone according to plan for national squash player Aifa Azman.
The 18-year-old had started the season on a high by finishing runner-up in the Under-19 category of the British Junior Open back in January.
But before the Kedah-born could even get any sort of rhythm going, tournaments were abruptly suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
First, it was the Professional Squash Association (PSA) who postponed all tournaments until the end of April.
Then Malaysia implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) which grounded all national athletes from training until April 14.
It is certainly not the most ideal situation for Aifa, who was targeting a strong finish in her last year as a junior at the Asian Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships.
The Asian Juniors, that was scheduled in China in June, has been postponed while the status of the World Juniors, due to be held in Gold Coast, Australia, in July is still unclear.
“Obviously, after the British Juniors, my targets were to win the Asian and World Juniors and improve on my world ranking in PSA tournaments,” said the World No 62.
“It is a bit disappointing being unable to play in tournaments.
“I’m just hoping the situation improves for the better as I am itching to get back into training and hopefully tournaments as well.
“It is certainly not easy as an athlete being under lockdown because there is not much we can do.
“I couldn’t even go back to Kedah to be with my family because of the MCO, so I’m currently still based in Bukit Jalil.
“I’m keeping myself busy with my daily fitness workouts, watching some movies and also reviewing squash matches.
“I’m fired up and hope to make up for the lost time when the MCO is lifted, and tournaments are back on,” added Aifa.