Eventually, as Japanese companies get back into shape, a proper recovery should follow.

ECONOMIST: Japan��s tender spring

"It took a lot of hard work to get back into shape and I have a few people to thank, including my fitness coach and husband, " Clijsters said on-court after the match.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

On the opposite side you find athletes like 19-year-old Kenyan Pamela Jelimo who, having been thrust into sporting superstardom in her home country after winning 800m gold in Beijing, had a tough winter and is only just beginning to get back into shape.

BBC: Steve Cram column

Three more weeks should be enough to get myself back into shape.

CNN: Lightning strikes twice as Blake beats Bolt again

"His back was in really bad shape and he couldn't get into the Olympics, and that was the last thing he really worked hard at, " Ms. Herlihy said.

WSJ: Life in America Unraveled for Brothers

Children of the current generation will be poorer for it if they never get to linger over a vast paper map and then try in vain to fold it back into its original shape.

WSJ: Lost in Our Maps: A History of Cartographic Catastrophes