“She evidently is a tough opponent, a lefty. It’s never easy to play against a leftie with the ball going the other way. But I have nothing to lose. I’m going to go out there and have fun regardless and see what happens.”
And she will be able to go into the match with the confidence of winning her first match out of retirement after proving that her form on the practice court was no fluke. “I think I have always worked very hard on my fitness and tried to stay in shape. I’ve worked very hard to be in good shape here, but obviously, when you play a match, it’s different,” she said after the win.
“You can’t replicate that in practice. So I was happy with the way my body and fitness held up today. Especially because all of a sudden I felt like it was hot and the sun was out and I looked up and thought, ‘I shouldn’t be asking for an ice pack right now, I need to play a little fresh.’ But I felt like I did well and I’m happy with that.”