Laura Robson lowers her sights as she announces Surprise comeback

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/29/laura-robson-surprise-comeback-phoenix

Version 0 of 1.

Laura Robson, out for a year with a wrist injury, returns to tennis next month in a place called Surprise.

Her agent, Max Eisenbud, confirmed on Thursday that the former British No1 will play in two ITF $25,000 tournaments, in Surprise, near Phoenix, Arizona from 16 February, then Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego, the following week.

“The plan is for Laura to play those two small tournaments late in February before she uses her protected ranking to get into Indian Wells,” Eisenbud said. “But everything is tentative. We will not be rushed into anything and we are quite prepared to change the plan if necessary.

“We want her to be properly ready and, if that is not the case, then she won’t play. We are not going to take any chances and want to be sensible about this whole thing. Right now she is practising in Bradenton [at Nick Bollettieri’s academy] and the wrist is fine, that’s not the problem. It’s not a matter of fitness either. We just want Laura to attain the necessary level of tennis, and people have got to remember she has been out for more than a year. Going into these smaller tournaments she could play day after day and we have got to make sure she is ready for that kind of schedule.

“We don’t want to pick up a different injury because her body is not properly reconditioned to play day-after-day tennis. I have had a lot of experience in this kind of thing with Maria [Sharapova]. The important thing in bringing a player back after a very long time away from the game is to be smart.”

Judy Murray, Great Britain’s Federation Cup captain – who will miss the final here to be back in time for the Europe/Africa Group B round robin in Budapest, starting on 4 February – said Robson has been sorely missed.

“I think it’s more frustrating for Laura,” she said. “Wrist injuries are tough injuries. She has to take her time and it’s just so important that she takes her time and comes back when she’s ready.

“She’s obviously champing at the bit to get back but she realises more than anybody that you just have to be patient and follow the orders of the doctor and the physios. The thing with a wrist injury is that you can still work very hard on your physical conditioning while you’re not necessarily able to play as much.”

Murray is delighted, though, with the promise of the girls’ semi-finalist here, Katie Swan, from Bristol, who is in her Fed Cup plans next year. “That’s what we’ve got to hope for, because obviously we don’t have much strength in depth. There’s a big drop after Heather [Watson] and Laura – when she can play – a big drop to Johanna [Konta], and then there’s an even bigger drop again to the rest of the pack.”

If Swan builds on her excellent form, she will likely attract the sort of attention Robson did when she won junior Wimbledon at 14. They have spoken briefly, but Swan, who lives in Wichita, Kansas, where her father moved to for work two years ago, is keen to emulate her.

“Katie will be 16 this year but she’s a good athlete, got a very good mind,” Murray said. “She’s got a very good foundation to her game already, strong serve, strong forehand. But I think it’s her calmness and her ability to stick to a task that impresses me.

“I sat on the chair with her during the Maureen Connolly Trophy last year when we played the States at New Haven just before the US Open. She beat the No1 and 2 for the States and came from a set down in both of them. She was able to process the tactics and information and stick with them against girls who were a couple of years older than her and very much more experienced. That was when I realised, we’ve got a player on our hands here.”

Swan, slightly built and with some growing left to do, may one day challenge Robson and Watson for a place in the Federation Cup – or even compete with greater ambition in the slams. That is her intention. After years of waiting for someone to join her two aces, Murray may well have found at least one player to light up the next wave.Murray added she will use her increased profile after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing to sell the game to a new audience.

“That wasn’t the reason that I did the dancing. I just wanted to do it for the fun of it. But I’m very much aware that many more people recognise me when I’m out and about now – and it’s got nothing to do with tennis. That’s been quite interesting for me, realising the reach of that show. So if it helps me to promote tennis better and grow the game more, then that’s great.”