A nagging wrist injury and indifferent form marred her season, but Czech tennis ace Nicole Vaidisova says the worst is behind her and things will change for the better next year when she returns to full fitness.
A wrist injury forced her to miss almost half the season and the lay-off took a massive toll on her WTA rankings, in which she slipped from world number 12 and to 41.
However, the blonde teenager says far from dwelling on the tough period, she is looking ahead and raring to get back on the court and prove her mettle.
"It's (wrist) better and there is no pain. I have not started hitting the ball much but it seems a lot better. I did lot of exercises and rehab programme with my coach. It was a tough period but hopefully I will do better now," she said, during an interaction after awarding scholarships to young kids at a Reebok-organised tennis clinic in Delhi on Wednesday.
"I will go back to Florida and have one-and-a-half month to prepare for the season ahead," the 19-year-old said, spelling out her plans.
Vaidisova is not worried about the steep fall in her rankings and said, "That's going to happen. It's part and parcel of the game. When you are not playing, you can't do much."
The Czech, who debuted on the WTA circuit in 2003, had a sensational run in 2007 when she acquired her career-best ranking of number seven.
She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and quarter-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, besides making the third round of US Open.
Vaidisova said she is working towards her goal of a Grand Slam title and is focussing on becoming mentally and physically stronger.
"I was young and did not have much experience. Then I played Venus (Williams) a couple of times and lost. You have to be very tough mentally and physically strong to win a Slam. You have to play really well," she pointed.
On how she got initiated to the sport, Vaidisova said it was her mother who introduced her to tennis.
"My mother is a gymnast and she wanted me to take up sports as career as well but different to what she had chosen.
"I was 10 when I moved to Florida and started playing tennis. Gradually my interest grew in the game," said Vaidisova, who was one of the youngest players to break into the top-10 zone.
Far from being intimidated by big names, Vaidisova said she relishes the fierce competition in the WTA circuit.
"This is great for women's tennis. The young players are playing really well. The Williams sisters are still a force and the competition is fierce," she signed off.
