Mumbai: The comeback might have been purely for fun and strictly one-off, but the competitive streak was still intact. Well, more than two years since she hung up her racquet, Aparna Popat was still able to match her opponents shot for shot, point for point.

“Initially I was feeling cold, but once warmed up, I got the movement going. But the cross-court drift still comes out well. It’s my natural stroke,” said Popat, grinning with pride.

The 31-year-old, whose career was cut short by an injury, played the mixed doubles at the Tata Open with Kerala’s Joy Antony as partner. The duo had an easy outing in the first round but was shown the door by third seeds Tanvir Gill and Mohita Sahdev in the second. But according to Popat, it was never meant to be a serious business.

“It started as a joke. Few days before the tournament, Joy called me and said he had entered us. I said, ‘don’t be kidding’. And then I called back and told him that I was okay,” the former national champion said.

But Popat firmly ruled out a comeback. “I never played mixed doubles, you must remember that,” she said.

“I can’t just come there and play. I must have the motivation to win the nationals, and it’s not there yet.”