Nine years after she made a sensational pro debut, Alexandra Stevenson is determined to make her comeback as memorable. After having made the semifinals in only her first event at Wimbledon in 1999 — only the third qualifier to do so — Stevenson's career came to a grinding halt after she picked up a shoulder injury a couple of years down the line.
After hurting her shoulder en route to the Linz final in 2002 and reaching a career-high 18 in the world, the 27-year-old American soldiered on despite the pain. She aggravated her injury in Australia in 2003 before going in for surgery.
"I got to 18 in the world in 2002 and then I hurt my shoulder. I had surgery in September 2004 and it has taken me this long to rehab and get back on the Tour," Stevenson said on the eve of the $600,000 Bangalore Open qualifiers on Friday. "I'm fit, fully fit and ready to go," she added.
Wasn't it tough during rehab? "I never lie down and say I'm quitting. Obviously there were times when I was very upset, but I had my mom, and I had god. I always believe as long as you have a dream you can always reach it no matter what.
"My career got stopped halfway through, it was unfortunate. You have to make the best of it. Now I have many goals. I'm not going to stop until I achieve them," she went on.
"My first goal is to get into the top 100, so I can get to play the Grand Slams. Second is to get into the top-30, and then top 20, then top-10 and then No 1! Andre Agassi played till he was 35, so I've many years," she exclaimed.
Never-say-die spirit
"I never, ever, ever, ever give up, like Winston Churchill," Stevenson said. "By Agassi's standards, she is really 23-and-a-half. She missed three-and-a-half years of tennis," Samantha, her mom and coach, chipped in. "In tennis years, I'm young because I wasn't on the court," Stevenson added.
Having caught the tennis world by storm as an 18-year-old in 1999, the American said she is better prepared for the journey back, back to the top, despite the three-year hiatus. Stevenson, ranked 394 in the world now, takes on China's Shengnan Sun in the first round of the qualifiers on Saturday.
She may batch practice, but Stevenson is ready for the challenge. Her comeback event was at Belgium, where she made the second round.
"I went to Doha and Dubai. I didn't get into the tournaments, but I played a lot of practice matches against the girls, which is good because I can't get that at home. That was good and now I'm here, ready to play."
"Game-wise, I think I'm stronger. Obviously my shoulder is much stronger because I've been doing weights for three years, doing shoulder exercises and I'm smarter because I've been watching a lot of tennis on television. I've been watching how the girls and guys play, watching their strategies and I did a lot of learning in the three years off the court.
"Now it is getting matches, lots of matches and learning in each match and just playing better each match," she explained.
As regards the challenge now and when she came on as a teenager in 1999, Stevenson said: When I came up first, the girls were much tougher. Mary Pierce, Natalie Tauziat, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles, Jana Novotna, Steffi Graf, Venus and Serena, Martina Hingis, Arantxa Sanchez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Amanda Coetzer, I mean that's pretty tough, tough top-20. "Now, all my peers are in the top-10. I have been injured when all these girls climbed to the top. So, I'm ready to get back."
As the topic veered to Sania Mirza, she said: "You guys love her here don't you? I was going to play her in Cincinnati and I retired because my shoulder wasn't better yet. I tried to play her, but never go to play her. I guess she is having trouble coming to India. It would be amazing if she came here. She is your only player.
"She is good, she is solid and she is strong. She is a good baseliner and hits the ball well. She has done well and India loves her. Everywhere you go, she has fans. All over the world there are Indian fans," she pointed out.
