National champion Soraya de Visch Eijbergen: I'm moving forward

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As for myself: last week was particularly tough. Not so much with regards to my recovery, but rather with not getting to play at the ‪#‎EC2016‬ in France. Something I had very high on my athletic wishlist.

The good news, however, is that my recovery is progressing slowly, but steadily. (A recent ultrasonography showed improvement of the tendon and a reduced amount of fluid.) I am working on my overall fitness as much as my current condition affords me to and am making baby steps with on-court practice. While that is still a far cry from where I want to be, it's a move in the right direction.

My coach Rune Massing told me beforehand that this time would be a true test of my determination. Just shy of three months into this recovery, I feel he might be right.

My past performances keep me inspired though - the Prague Open 2015 semifinal I played against Linda Zetchiri is certainly one of those. A proper fight that saw me get up to par at 19-19 in the third game, falling victim to Linda's experience 19-21. I remember doing a work-out right after that match, channeling some of the immediate disappointment. Shortly after though, I was overtaken by a sense of pride, having grown so much in the foregoing months. It still gives me goosebumps.

That's where I am right now. Like walking on a tightrope: it's difficult to remain patient about getting back on court in full force, but it's comforting to know what I am capable of as I've shown in the last 12 months. I'm moving forward.