Yuki Bhambri eyes return from injury at Maharashtra Open next year, reveals Stephen Koon

Yuki Bhambri has been out of action for almost a year due to a knee injury. He has pointed towards a return in the Maharashtra Open next year, Coach Stephen Koon said on Tuesday. 27-year-old Bhambri, who was the country’s No. 1 singles player when he played his last match at the Antwerp ATP event in October 2018, has been hampered throughout his career by various injuries. But the knee problem has been the most vexing for the Indian as it has taken longer than normal to find the right course of treatment.

“Yuki said he is with his specialist in America, trying to return to ATP Pune 2020”, Koon said to the TNN. 

Koon, who is in the city of Pune to conduct a camp with the Arash Poonawala Maharashtra Tennis Academy shared the frustration but was confident about the fact that the Indian will return all guns blazing.

“The good thing about being up there is that you know how to get there. It's harder if you've never been there, ” said the 45-year-old. “Of course it hurts when you play one year every Grand Slam in the main draw and the next year you see it on television. It hurts, but you either use it as a motivator or ... Yuki is a champion inside his head, so I know how he's going to use it,” explained the coach.

Koon has been associated with Bhambri since the latter’s junior years when they met at Nick Bollettieri Academy in the USA where big names such as Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, and Andre Agassi have trained. The relationship between Koon and Bhambri has strengthened over the years.