New Delhi: India’s World No. 10 men’s doubles player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who was tested COVID-19 positive on August 27, 2020, has been discharged from hospital and is set to return to training at the Gopichand Academy early October.
He was the only top Indian badminton player who was diagnosed and has recovered from COVID-19. Before him, India’s women’s doubles player N Sikki Reddy Shuttler and her physiotherapist Kiran C were tested positive for Coronavirus. But both were tested negative in their second Coronavirus tests.
Even though Rankireddy was asymptomatic, he sure could feel the effect of contracting the virus.
“I started feeling tired and have to sit down even if I just stood for 10 minutes,” said Rankireddy to ESPN.
“Initially, I couldn’t even hit a toss. I’ve recovered, but there’s still some weakness. On the court, I’m fine. But my body doesn’t feel great. I can’t seem to do off-court training, whether it’s running or weights. I’m taking it slow, going for walks so I get fresh air and trying to gain strength,” explained Rankireddy to ESPN.
The recovery process for an athlete who recovered from COVID-19 could potentially be frustrating, not only is there the challenge of regaining lost fitness after the inevitable inactivity-induced detraining that occurs during an illness, there’s also the potential to push the body too hard, too soon, leading to a possible relapse or post-viral fatigue episode.
As of Sunday, India has the second-highest cases worldwide, with roughly 1m cases fewer than the USA. India will soon pass 6 million coronavirus cases, after it recorded 88,600 new infections on Sunday, taking the country’s official toll to just under 6 million (5,992,532).
