Yao is back home but fitness still a concern ahead of Olympics

Yao Ming is as excited as anyone about the upcoming Olympics on home soil. But the basketball superstar is worried that, with only 42 days left until the opening ceremony, he will not have enough time to tune up.

"I've been waiting for such a great chance on home soil for a long time, but I need more time to get prepared," the 2.26 m center said at a press conference in Beijing yesterday.

Yao has yet to fully recover from the surgery he underwent in March to repair his injured left foot. Still, the Houston Rockets all-star center will start training with the national team today, less than two days after he arrived in Beijing.