To most players, Maria Sharapova’s 2015 would have been considered a banner season.

She won titles in Brisbane and Rome, made the final of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, as well as leading Russia to a Fed Cup final. But for the World No.4’s exacting standards, her season is remembered for what she didn’t achieve, derailed by troublesome injuries.

“It was frustrating because you train and want to see some sort of reward – and by reward I don’t just mean wins, I mean just going out there and seeing how you translate your work onto the field,” Sharapova said at the WTA Finals.

The Russian comes in to the Australian summer in a different position than the rest of the Top 10. Now recovered from those injuries that sidelined her for four months after Wimbledon, Sharapova found her crucial off-season preparations cut short by previously made commitments.

“I didn’t know in the middle of the year that I would be part of the Fed Cup final,” Sharapova recently told WTA Insider. “I didn’t know that I would be missing four months. If I knew I would be playing Fed Cup I probably, most likely, would not have played IPTL but I made that commitment before the Fed Cup decision was made.”

Coupled with her exhibition event in Los Angeles, Sharapova has crammed more matches into the last few months than she’d probably like. Luckily for her, the extra competition has served as a boost to her confidence and a test of her fitness, ending the year on a positive note as she heads Down Under.

“When you come to the Australian Open, everything is new and fresh,” Sharapova said. “You’ve got to start from scratch.”

The Australian Open is – apart from Roland Garros – the Slam where Sharapova has seen the most consistently positive results. Since 2012, she’s reached the final twice and the semifinals once.