© Getty Images
Elise Mertens is putting the finishing touches to her preparation for the Australian Open this week at the Hobart tournament. The Limburger is the second seed and opens with a Belgian get-together against Maryna Zanevska.
Bron: BELGIAN
“It has been a while since I participated in this tournament, but I am very happy to be back here,” she said during a press conference on Monday. “I have always liked it here and I have not forgotten that I won my first WTA title here (in 2017, ed.). There was a lot of wind and I was very nervous, but it remains one of the best memories of my career. By the way, I entered the top 100, an important step for a tennis player.”
Mertens started the year at the United Cup with a win against the unknown Bulgarian Gergana Topalova and a defeat against the Greek topper Maria Sakkari. In Tasmania, where she was also the best in 2018, she wants to get ready for the Australian Open, which starts next week.
“I want to travel to Melbourne with good energy,” she assures. “This is an important preparatory tournament and the goal is of course to win a few matches. The field of participants is better compared to the previous editions because everyone wants to play at the beginning of the year. And that’s a good thing. I feel like pushing far and I hope for a new title. I don’t know if that’s possible, you never know in tennis, but I’m going to give the maximum.”