The last time Sania Mirza stepped on court in a competitive match was over a month ago, in the semi-finals of the China Open. Since then, the 30-year-old has taken a break to nurse a knee injury, but is now considering going in for yet another surgery. “I have had a bit of a problem, but I have to see if I need surgery or not,” she says.

The six-time Grand Slam champion has had a tough year, falling to the 12th rank after starting the year at no 1. Ever since she split with Martina Hingis last year – with whom she had won 14 titles including all of her three women’s doubles Grand Slam triumphs – Mirza has struggled to find a regular partner on the circuit. “It has been a tough year for me with my partners getting injured. All in all, I still finished close to the top 10, so I am happy with the year,” she adds, on the sideline of an award function in Mumbai.

Through the 2017 calendar year, she has played with eight different partners.

It was her short stint with American veteran Bethanie Mattek-Sands however that had proven to be the most fruitful for her, as she won the Brisbane Open at the beginning of the season. The title though proved to be the only one she would win this year, although she did partner Barbora Strycova to the finals of the Sydney International and the Miami Masters. Yet those results came long before she decided to take a break to evaluate the damage on her right knee due to a bone spur.

Mirza’s career, which has seen her reach as high as 27 in the women’s singles rankings, has been marred with injuries. In all, she’s undergone five surgeries, two on her right wrist and three on her knees. After the last one that she went for, back in 2011, the strong baseliner had steadily stated to shift her focus onto the doubles game.

She did find instant success though, as she won three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles – two with Mahesh Bhupathi and one with Bruno Soares of Brazil, before the trophy-laden 18 month stint with Hingis – which included a 41-match winning streak.