Brit young gun Laura Robson will play her first match of the 2014 season in Hobart today.
A wrist injury forced the 19 year-old to withdraw from Auckland last week, but the popular Brit has spend the past few days in Hobart practicing and is ready to return to the court.
“It’s going to be my first match for 2014, so I’m very excited,” Robson said.
“I haven’t had the best preparation, but just getting on court is going to be fun.”
Robson said her wrist was feeling stronger and she was ready to test it out.
“I haven’t played a match so I don’t know how it is going to end up, but in practice it feels okay,” she said.
The world no. 44 has been dealt a tough draw. She will face 2012 Hobart International runner-up and former world no. 12 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium in round one.
Their match is the fourth match scheduled on Court Events Tasmania today.
Robson, who reached a career-high ranking of 27 in 2013, knows she faces a challenge against the world no. 51.
“I’ve only played her once before and I lost, but that was a couple of years ago on grass,” Robson said. “She is always a tough opponent, she fights really hard and she has got some heavy strokes, so it’s going to be tough.”
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Robson, who lost to American Sloane Stephens in the first round in her Hobart debut last year, hopes a win today can be the start of a big season for her.
“I would love to win my first title this year, but other than that I haven’t really thought about it yet. Just winning a lot would be good,” she said.