King’s comeback

Barbados ace tennis player Darian King is determined to work harder and remains committed towards a shot at competing at the August 30 to September 13 US Grand Slam Open.

It is no secret that the US Open is one of King’s favourite tournaments if not the favourite and he wants to feature once more having made his first appearance in 2017.

The 29-year-old for the past year has been troubled with a nagging wrist injury but said that he is slowly finding back some form again. During his opening match yesterday at the Little Rock ATP Challengers being played in Arkansas, King won 6-4, 6-4 against Thiago ‘Tirante’ Agustīn of Argentina.

“I haven’t played matches in a long time. So, now it is just for me to recover as fast as I can and to prepare my body is important,” King said.

“It has been tough. Some issues and stuff I have been going through in my personal life. Obviously, with an injury also has taken a toll on me. But now I think that I have been finding clear air.

“Recovery and stuff have been tough. I have been travelling with Sloane (Stephens), practising. So when I get back on tour it is not unusual. Using her fitness coach and practising with her has helped me to try and get back to where I want to be,” King explained about his road to recovery.

This country’s best tennis player with a career highest ranking of 106 in singles, King noted that it was hard missing out on major tournaments because of injury and by extension the pandemic.

However, he has no intention of giving up because he wants to get back to his winning ways.

“It is something that I have been doing for the past six, seven years and not being there this year due to the pandemic and because of my injury, it is a lot to think about.

“Being injured is part of sports and it is just how fast you can bounce back. I still have a shot at the US Open. So, now I will play a full schedule towards the US Open and see if I can find my way there somehow,” he stated.

Since picking up the unexpected wrist injury, King admitted that now more than ever he recognises the importance of taking care of his body.

“Taking care of my body is priority number one. Normally I just used to be the guy that is so energetic and never really warms up as I suppose to. But now I take the time to warm up my body even before I head out to practise and competition.

“My body comes first for sure and as I said this is what I am doing on my off days, stretching a lot, getting a lot of massages and stuff in preparation for my next match,” he told Barbados TODAY.

What is even more interesting is that since coming off injury King has moved on from his brother and former coach Christopher King.

King is now part of Sloane Stephens’ team. The Barbadian top seed and the American Grand Slam tennis champion are best friends and according to King, being part of her camp has shown him a lot.

“Just being here and surrounded by them showed me a lot in terms of what you need in this sport and building a team around is very important for the athlete.

“For me, being a part of it has been a tremendous journey and she has granted me a lot of opportunities in this sport. So, I am thankful for it and hopefully, we can continue our friendship in this sport,” he expressed.

Earlier last month Stephens spoke highly of King and their friendship to Tennis Majors. com. She noted King helped her with her energy on court and it was nice to have someone with whom she could vibe with and who was very supportive.

The latter part of the year is looking like a big one for King who is expected to return home in September to represent Barbados in Davis Cup against Indonesia.

For the talented player, representing Barbados remains one of his top priorities.

“Representing my country comes first in everything I do. So, I’m looking forward to it because it is going to be held in Barbados. Hopefully, people can come out and support us against Indonesia.

“This is pretty new to me because being off the court for a year is kind of difficult but I am happy that I have started back training. I’m also happy that I have started back playing. Obviously, I’ve got my win yesterday and hopefully I can start back my winning ways in tennis again,” King said.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb