R3 : Gina 3-0 Aira

Gina

“When the draw changed after Hania dropped out, I was actually quite happy that I got a chance to be on the outdoor court in a match that I was expected to win. I feel like every time I’ve been outdoors I’ve been playing against one of the top girls and it hasn’t been the most enjoyable experience.

“I really wanted to use this match to gain a bit of confidence in these outdoor conditions and I think it went about as well as it could have done against a dangerous player like Aira. She’s so skilful and takes all the rhythm out of the game and I think it’s no secret that I like to have rhythm!

‘In November I struggled with a hip injury. I had tendonitis in the hip-groin area. I was advised to get steroid injections but with all the tournaments back to back I wanted to put it off as long as I could. That was not the best idea, I continued to train but half-heartedly compared to what I’m used to doing. I was doing significantly less and the confidence, the movement and everything was suffering but after all the rehab I was doing I changed a lot of things. I’m not running as much or doing as much court work, I’m training a bit smarter now.

“Maybe in the summer I’ll reassess what I need to do but for now I’m pretty confident I’ll be fine for the end of the season.”