Former finalist Samantha Stosur is urging tennis followers to not fret as Australia faces the prospect of getting its leanest illustration within the French Open ladies’s singles within the 55-year open period.
Tennis Australia is clinging to the hope that three-time grand slam quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic will make a shock comeback after 5 months out with a knee damage.
If not, wildcard Kimberley Birrell is the one Australian assured of that includes within the ladies’s important attract Paris from subsequent Monday.
Olivia Gadecki, Priscilla Hon, Storm Hunter, Jaimee Fourlis and Arina Rodionova are all making an attempt to qualify.
But with former top-20 star Daria Saville additionally recovering from a critical knee damage, Australia might be and not using a feminine direct entrant at Roland Garros for the primary time since tennis turned skilled in 1968.
“Obviously not ideal,” Stosur mentioned on Tuesday.
“Obviously you want more players in the draw. That goes without saying, and hopefully Ajla can make her comeback this week.
“If not, then hopefully it will be very quickly. She’s clearly had a unbelievable 12 months final 12 months and now to overlook all of the 12 months to date is admittedly devastating for her.
“But I know she’s going to be working as hard as she can to get back out there.”
Birrell, ranked No.111 on this planet, obtained Tennis Australia’s reciprocal wildcard beneath an association with the French federation.
“Kimbo’s actually had a really good year leading in,” Stosur mentioned.
“She’s won tons of matches this year and also had her own injury struggles over the last few years.
“So to now see her actually getting ready to breaking (into the) prime 100 and stepping into these grand slams on her personal advantage is unbelievable.”
Runner-up in 2010 and a semi-finalist three other times, the retired Stosur is optimistic about Australia having a larger representation in Paris in coming years.
“It’s all cyclical. It goes round in cycles,” she mentioned.
“Next 12 months we may have 10, after which this complete 12 months might be all forgotten about. It comes and goes, it actually does.”
Stosur is hoping Australia’s fringe female players can draw inspiration from Max Purcell and Aleksandar Vukic, who have cracked the men’s top 100 the hard way.
Purcell, the reigning Wimbledon doubles champion, is up to 67th in the world and the new Australian No.3 behind Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios.
“If something, Max Purcell has proven that you would be able to completely grind it out on the challenger circuit,” Stosur mentioned.
“Dominate that, get your self in there, develop in confidence after which once you hit the larger courts, the larger stage on the ATP or WTA you have obtained that confidence behind you.
“So I’m sure all the players are looking to what Max has done and Alex Vukic and trying to get in there with them.”
Rodionova loved a first-round qualifying win on Monday night time and subsequent faces Elizabeth Mandlik, the daughter of Czech-born nice Hana Mandlikova, who briefly represented Australia.
Gadecki, Hon, Hunter and Fourlis all play their opening qualifying matches on Tuesday.
With 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios once more sitting out the clay-court main, world No.19 de Minaur is spearheading a a lot more healthy Australian males’s assault in Paris.
Purcell, Jason Kubler, Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell and wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis are additionally in the principle draw, whereas Vukic, James Duckworth, Rinky Hijikata, Marc Polmans and Alex Bolt stay in qualifying.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au