Harsh Mankad on comeback trail

Climbing up the tennis ladder is a difficult job in itself; to do it all over again can be painstaking.

But it's a battle the players want to come back to.

"I knew it was not going to end this way," says Harsh Mankad, who was put out of the race for over a year due to a knee injury. The Indian was just about starting to put it together, having reached a career-best of 222 earlier in the year, before injury struck.

After spending a year finding the right physiotherapist and then the right treatment, the Mumbai player is back on the circuit.

"I started playing again in November last year," he said, on the sidelines of the US $ 10,000 ITF Futures event in Mumbai, where he has entered as a wild card.

"The rehab process took a little longer. It was basically because one of the muscles was not functioning properly and the strain was going to the knee.

"I tried a couple of physios here and then went to the US. Not to say that the people here were not good; they did their best to help. But I worked with physios there who were with the US Olympic Association, and since they work with professional athletes all the time they are better exposed to the problems.

"Mentally, it was tough, but I always knew I wanted to come back," said Mankad, who does not let the '28' against his name bother him.

"I think I am still young. I am fast on court and can compete well with the youngsters."

He has played seven events since coming back on tour, making it to the quarterfinal of the F3 Futures in Great Britain in January.

Helped by the wild cards the AITA has granted him in the events in India, and the support by Air India by way of free tickets, Mankad, currently ranked 1289, is trying to get his career back on track.

"I have a protected ranking of 320. I can use it only eight times, so I am saving it for some of the bigger events.

"But I am not too bothered about the rankings at the moment. I am more focused on my game, and I think when you reach that level the rankings take care of themselves."

While Mankad has not been a part of the Davis Cup team since 2005, he found himself commenting on the recent rebellion against captain Leander Paes since the two shared a "history". Though he didn't take his displeasure to the press openly, he was slighted in the team despite being the number one player.

He has come out in support of Paes since, but his advise to the revolting group is: stay detached.

"I've matured a little now. And I think no one is there to put you down, the players should try and not take things too much to heart. Sometimes we get too caught up in all these things."

While a Davis Cup berth for himself is a distant goal at this time, the 28-year-old is now focusing on getting back into prime shape and coping with the constantly "changing nature" of the sport.