By Neto Baptiste
Jody Maginley, the country’s top professional tennis player, says he is recovering well from a recent hip surgery.
In an interview on Observer Radio’s Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Maginley said that with continued therapy, he expects to be back on the court sometime between June and August this year.
“I’ve been doing maybe two or three times per week with my physio and then I’ve been doing exercise at home from since about a week and a half ago, and right now I am just working on getting my range and motion back and my flexibility back. I am aware that it is a long process and I have to be patient with myself, and even though I feel good right now, I know that I am nowhere close to being back to a hundred percent yet,” he said.
Maginley, who recounted that he picked up the potentially career-ending injury while playing a Future Tour event in Vegas last year, said ongoing therapy has proven effective thus far, adding that the hardest part is exercising the patience needed to see the process through to the end.
“I feel good, I feel like I could walk right now but I know I am on crutches for a next two weeks and that’s the kind of experience I am going to have over the next four months where I feel like I can do something better, but I have to be very patient and understand that the surgery and all that stuff was on the doctors and physiotherapists, but right now it’s on me to just be disciplined, make sure I do my rehab exercises. I work on my mobility, I work on my strength training and take my time and be patient so that I don’t mess up the work that has already been done,” the player said.
Currently ranked 1275 in singles and 679 in doubles on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), Maginley said he has since applied for a protected ranking.
“I had to submit my application with all of my imaging and my doctor’s note and records to the ATP and they basically would protect my ranking which would get me into tournament later on, so if I am 600 in the world right now, I am not going to be 600 [literally] later on, but it [rankings] would show that [my last ranking was] 600 and that would allow me access to the list to get into the event and then at that point I could gain back my ranking based on my results,” he said.
Maginley, who is the son of former sports minister and former national tennis player, John Maginley, is currently in Texas.