Myers hits top form

Almost 11 months ago she was lying in a hospital bed contemplating her future as a tennis player.

She was deciding whether or not she would continue to play the sport she grew up loving or end what was a promising junior career.

After some thought and a successful foot surgery, she decided to keep playing.  

“At the beginning of the year I was so close to quitting,” Myers said.

“I was thinking my injury was terrible and I was in the worst mental headspace that I have ever been in.

“I was completely leaving it up to my doctor.

“If I came out of the surgery in a splint then I said I would be out of the game for six months and I knew I would quit, I thought it would be too much to come back from.

“But fortunately my foot was just in a bandage and it was only six week out of the game.

“I did want to keep going.

“I started with a new coach and that also helped me mentally.”

Fast-forward 11 months and the 20-year-old is aiming for an Australian Open doubles berth with friend Jessica Moore.

Myers said she hoped to use the Bendigo Festival of Tennis as a launching pad for what could be a memorable summer.

Myers played in qualifying for the Open last year and says it would be a dream come true to play at her home grand slam.

“Hopefully we can win the Bendigo tournament in the doubles and go well in the next tournament as well,” she said.

“The Bendigo event is a tough tournament, so there is some more higher ranked players come to play here.

“It just means there is a lot of great tennis being played.”

Myers said she lives and breathes tennis.

Growing up she was surrounded by family members who all played tennis, including her aunt Debbie Chesterton, who played at Wimbledon several years ago.

Myers counts Chesterton as her tennis inspiration.

She said playing at a tournament like Wimbledon would be a dream come true. 

The Australian hopeful said Chesterton inspired her to have a go at tennis. 

“I started playing tennis when I was two, I would run around with my plastic racquets and hitting balls off the ground,” she said.

“My mum would bounce the ball to me.  

“I kept going with it, I haven’t stopped, I play tennis every single day.”

The Sydney-sider now travels the world playing on the International Pro circuit.

She lives out of a suitcase for most of the year.

It may sound glamorous to some, but Myers says travelling from city to city can be mentally exhausting.

But she admits she wouldn’t have it any other way.  

“I love travelling and seeing the world," she said.

“I do love living out of a suitcase.

“It does get annoying with the face that I am wearing the same clothes over and over and washing your clothes in the sink, but I am having such a great time.

“The memories I make I will be able to share that with my children one day.”

Myers said travelling the world playing tennis isn’t for everyone; saying it takes a lot of hard work, determination and patience, especially when it comes to money.

“Playing tennis is not a stable job so my parents do help me out a lot,” she said.

“I have the bank of mum and dad helping me at the moment, but whenever I do get any prize money that money goes straight back to them.”

Myers was based in Turkey for six months in 2013 and spent a large part of this year in Egypt, India and Turkey.  

“I played a few tournaments over there and I did really well and got my ranking back up because at the start of that trip I didn’t have a ranking at all,” she said.  

“I came back to Australia and my ranking was back in the 700’s.”

Myers said the hardest part about playing in different countries was adjusting to their distinct culture and lifestyle.

“It is a great experience, but there is some cultural differences which is hard,” she said.

“The men are starring at your legs if you are wearing shorts, so you have to be really careful with their religion.  

“It is hard to balance your diet because of the food, but you do get used to it.

“In Egypt the tournament is at a resort so people adjust to you being there.”

One of her biggest on court achievements was when she won the Sharm El Sheikh singles tournament in Egypt earlier this year.

“It was an amazing feeling, it was a lower ranked tournament but knowing that I could go out on court and beat anyone was good,” Myers said.

“Winning that tournament was one of the biggest steps for me and my career.”

The right-handed tennis ace said there was a different mindset for players in Australia compared to Europe.

“In Australia there are a lot more people that are laid back and when it gets tough we don’t want to work too hard to win but the European players are out for blood,” Myers said.  

“They just want to win.  

“They want to hit that extra ball in the rally because in their mind that could be the difference between winning and losing.”

Myers said as much as tennis was a physical game, having the right mindset was the key to a successful career.

“I think it is 60 per cent a mental game rather than a physical game,” she said.

“It all starts with you, if you want to run for the ball you have to tell yourself to run for the ball.

“Even doing extra training sessions and making sure you are organising hits and running that extra kilometre to get your fitness up.

“It all adds up.”

Myers said she is learning a lot about herself and her game from every tournament she plays and hoped she would make her mark on the sport.

"To be ranked in the top 10, that is my goal and then maybe from there win a grand slam," she said. 

"Winning the Australian Open would be pretty nice."