Lisa Aitken can clearly split her two-year injury-layoff into two halves.

In the first half, she was relaxed, pragmatic and rational. During the second half, however, she started to panic.

Having turned 34, she knew the clock was ticking on her career and if she remained on the sidelines much longer, she feared she may never return to a squash court.

Aitken’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Having reached her highest-ever world ranking of 21, she was in the form of her life and was looking forward to breaking into the world’s top 20.

However, she was stopped abruptly in her tracks in December 2022 by a ruptured ACL, with the recovery process testing her to her limits both physically and mentally.

“The first year of rehab, I felt fine about everything – I felt like I had time and didn’t need to push things too fast. Doing my ACL felt like it was just a part of the journey of being an athlete and I had no doubts I would get back,” the Dundonian says.

“But then I got into the second year of rehab and I started to feel like okay, every day matters now. I’m getting older and I could feel the clock ticking both in terms of my career but also in terms of life and doing things like starting a family.

“So that second year was hard.”

Perhaps the one saving grace for Aitken when she was on the sidelines was the fact she was employed by SquashTV to be a commentator on tour meaning she was still very much a part of the sport even though she herself wasn’t on court.

“I missed playing so much but I love being a commentator,” she says.

“The game evolved so much in the two years I was out and commentating allowed me to keep up with how things were progressing.

“Now, it’s much faster, more explosive, the games are lasting longer and everyone is a physical beast.

“So during my rehab I knew I had to get back to where I was physically, and beyond. That’s a challenge but it’s one I’m embracing.”

Finally, Aitken is back being able to call herself a squash player.

Her return has been far from smooth; her first reappearance on tour came last September at the Qatar Classic but just seven minutes into her first competitive appearance for almost two years, she suffered a torn adductor which meant she had to return to the physio table once again.

This was, however, just a minor hiccup. Last month, Aitken was back on court, with a first round defeat of the world number 26 at the Hong Kong Open an indication that she is back to something approaching her physical and mental best. Which was, it's safe to say, something of a relief for the Scot.

“I was just desperate to be back competing again," she says.

"To be back putting on the dress, the sweatbands and headband and have the referee call my name at the start of the match, that made me feel like I’m back.”

Aitken has not navigated this comeback alone.

A significant source of support has been her girlfriend and Scotland football captain, Rachel Corsie.

Having two athletes in a relationship doesn’t always make for the easiest of home lives but Aitken is in little doubt that without Corsie alongside her, the past two years would have been considerably more difficult.

“Rachel’s had four knee surgeries and I knew nothing about knees when I got injured so she was able to help me understand what was going on with my knee.

“Things that I was worried about or scared of, she was a real reassuring presence,” Aitken says.

“And Rachel being able to come home from training and tell me what she did lifted me up – it was like I was living my athlete life through her.”

With Aitken striving to regain full fitness, she’s already begun planning for the coming seasons.

In October, squash was given the devastating news that it would not be a part of the Commonwealth Games programme in Glasgow in 2026 but given the sport will make its Olympic debut in LA in 2028, that blow didn’t land quite as hard as it may otherwise have.

And so, with the prospect of becoming an Olympian now a realistic goal for Aitken, she’s able to go into the final years of her career as driven as she’s ever been.

“It was quite a shock not to be included in the Commonwealth Games but what’s keeping me going is squash being in the Olympics in LA,” she says.

“I’ll be 38 in 2028 which isn’t young and making the Olympic team will be very, very hard but for the rest of my career, my goal is to get to the Olympics.

“Whether I get to LA or not, I want to know that I’ve given it absolutely everything - that’s all I can do over the next few years.”