Laura Robson: Comeback from hip surgery 'better than expected'
Former British number one Laura Robson says she felt “better than expected” after fearing she “would be terrible” in her comeback tournament following eight months out.
The 25-year-old, who had hip surgery last June, lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (8-10) 6-0 to Liechtenstein’s Kathinka von Deichmann in the ITF W60 in Shrewsbury.
“It was nice to be back,” Robson, the current world number 511, told BBC Shropshire after Tuesday’s match.
“I’m quite happy that my body held up.”
Having lost in the final round of qualifying for the World Tour event, Robson faced world number 162 Von Deichmann as a ‘lucky loser’ at the Shrewsbury Club.
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Robson, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2013 and was ranked world number 27 in the same year, added: “I definitely had some rust but that can only improve by playing more matches.
“Especially with the second round of surgery, it’s quite difficult to find the motivation to rehab all over again, so I’m really happy that I’ve actually made it back on to a tournament.”
Robson was courtside in Bath last week to watch Great Britain win four consecutive Fed Cup ties, culminating with Saturday’s decisive win over Serbia.
She said: “All I wanted to get out of this week was to enjoy being on court.
“I enjoyed it out there and I competed pretty well for someone who has been away for months.”
Robson intends to play at Glasgow’s W25 tournament next week.
Laura Robson was talking to BBC Shropshire’s Mark Elliott.