AFTER a brilliant start to the year, national junior squash player Aira Azman finds herself in a strange position trying to learn the game from scratch once again.
The Kedahan enjoyed a fine run at the British Junior Open in January as she reached the semi-finals of the Under-17 category.
Aira continued that fine form into February as she grabbed her first senior title by winning the individual gold medal at the Sea Cup in Ban
gkok.
But instead of going on to show her prowess, Aira's plans were derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic as all the squash players were forced to stay home for three months due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).
Now after a month back into training, Aira, who turns 16 in September is keeping herself pumped up with an eye set on next year's British Junior Open.
"It was definitely very different coming back to training the past month after sitting out for three months," she said.
"Even holding a racquet feels very foreign to me and I definitely missed my touch a fair bit as I couldn't hit my shots properly.
"It's not the situation I had imagined at the start of the year as I was doing very well prior to the MCO, even winning the Sea Cup title in Bangkok.
"Luckily the coaches are doing their best to get us back to our best as we try to focus on the coming months.
"The good thing for me is that probably everyone is similarly affected.
"So I've got time to work on my fitness and techniques to be well prepared when tournaments return.
"And speaking of tournaments, the British Juniors is the one tournament that I would really be looking forward to next year.
"I am still unsure if the tournament will proceed as planned.
"But I really hope that it does because it will be my last year in the Under-17 category," added Aira who won the Under-15 title in 2018."
The British Juniors, which is the most prestigious junior competition in the world after the World Junior Championships, has always been scheduled for Jan 2-6 annually.
However in light of the Covid-19 situation, it is still unsure if the tournament in Birmingham will proceed as planned even as it draws many junior players from all over the world.
In a statement, British Juniors tournament director Mike Edwards said that a decision on the competition will be made late next month.