Walking onto court to a rapturous home-crowd reception as the nation’s top-ranked woman is a scenario Sam Stosur has grappled with every year since 2009.
It is an honour the Gold Coaster has readily welcomed, but a pressure she freely admits to having struggled with, having craved success on home soil so much.
At 33, the former world No.4 returns for her eighth Brisbane International campaign this week in a newfound position.
After suffering a stress fracture and muscle tear in her right hand during the French Open, Stosur was sidelined for Wimbledon and the US Open before she returned for just five tournaments in 2017. Her best result was a quarter-final finish in Hong Kong, where she beat Agnieszka Radwanska en route.
“Yeah it’s been probably a bit more of an unconventional pre-season in some ways with all the breaks but it’s been really good,” the typically upbeat Stosur said. “After that 4.5 months where I wasn’t able to be out there playing to at least get to Asia and get another taste of competition – if I didn’t make it there I wouldn’t have played since the French Open so that’s a really long time.
“It was really good to test myself there and I feel like I’ve been able to do exactly what I’ve needed to do.
“I was able to spend a few weeks up in Queensland as well so that was even a nice little change having been in Melbourne so long in my time off.”
Soon after the wrist injury in Paris, Daria Gavrilova ended Stosur’s 452-week reign as Aussie No.1 before Ash Barty finished the season with the honour at world No.17.
It is the first time since 1989 Australia has had three women finish the season in the top 50, a depth Stosur relishes.
“Oh yeah, it’s been a long time. It’s really exciting to have obviously Ash here, myself, Dasha’s in Hopman [Cup], a bunch of other Aussies with wild cards available,” Stosur said. “It’s going to be hopefully a lot of us to watch as the rounds go on. We certainly love that support and being able to play in front of home crowds and we’re certainly in a really good position at the moment to have a few good runs.”
Stosur is not shying away from the fact she may draw a seed in her opening match at Brisbane International 2018 having seen her ranking plummet to No.41.
Casting an eye forward to Melbourne Park, there is one name she would certainly be wary of drawing early, a player on a comeback of her own – Serena Williams. The American is due to make her return from the birth of her first child to contest next month’s Australian Open.
“Of all people, she’s not going to play unless she’s ready,” Stosur said. “I wouldn’t expect she’d be out here unless she’s ready to play at her best. We all know what she’s been capable of in the past – she’s one of the greatest players ever.
“If she comes down we’ve all got to think, ‘OK she’s here, she’s here to win’.
“I think it’d be absolutely remarkable if she does, it’d be one of the quickest comebacks ever.”
After a 4.5-month stint on the sidelines and a tentative late-season return, Stosur is not one to hasten her own comeback.
Time to test her level with her newfound status – as the underdog Aussie in Brisbane.