PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles shuttler Dania Sofea Zaidi has reason to smile this Hari Raya Aidilfitri despite having only a short break with her family.
The-19-year-old has returned to the court ahead of schedule after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in her left knee last September.
Dania, however, has yet to resume full training as she is still not fully recovered and remains in the rehabilitation phase.
Still, being back on court has lifted her spirits after previously having to watch her teammates train from the sidelines.
“The physiotherapy team cleared me to return to court about four weeks ago, but for now I’m only doing light training and my movement is still limited,” said Dania.
“I’m happy to be back on court and moving again, despite the restriction.’’
At the same time, Dania is grateful for the support from the coaching team, who have continued to offer advice and encouragement during this difficult period.
“My coach told me not to worry too much about the injury and to stay focused on my training. I was also reminded not to overthink it, as I will recover sooner or later.
“This injury has taught me to be more disciplined. Going through rehab has strengthened my discipline,” she added.
The Skudai-born Dania hinted that if her progress continues positively, she could return to full training within the next one or two months.
At the same time, Dania is leaving it to the coaches to decide her future partner, especially with her former partner Low Zi Yu now performing well alongside Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan.
“I’m not sure about that. I’ll leave it to the coaches to decide because they know what’s best,” said Dania.
Dania and Zi Yu won silver at the 2024 World Junior Championships, while Zi Yu went on to repeat the achievement a year later with Noraqilah after Dania was sidelined due to injury.
