Mirza thanks cricketer for miracle recovery

Sania Mirza could hardly hold a spoon let alone a tennis racquet when cricketer Yuvraj Singh came to her rescue.

Mirza, the first Indian woman to break into the top 50, was last year suffering a wrist injury so severe that she believed her career was in jeopardy.

'Yuvraj is a good friend of mine and he called me and said he had this doctor who does Korean [spiral] therapy,' explained the 22-year-old, now ranked 101. The therapy included having 30-35 needles jabbed into her index finger three or four times a day,

'I said no and everyone was suggesting another surgery. I went to see the doctor and after about five days the pain in my wrist - I was not able to hold a spoon properly - had suddenly gone and I had complete movement back in my wrist. About two weeks later I was playing tennis again.'

Mirza is now hoping to rekindle the form that made her one of the most dangerous players on tour for Team Asia this week.

And she says she will make every single shot count.

'The last five or six months have been really, really difficult,' she said. 'For a professional athlete to suddenly become someone who cannot pick up a spoon was very difficult. But my friends and family helped me out and today I feel like I'm a much stronger person.'