Former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur says winning the John Newcombe medal for the Aussie Player of the Year this season might have eased expectations on her at home.
“Yeah, probably,” Stosur told the *Age*. “I guess in some ways there’s not really any pressure, but there’s always pressure because you want to play well and do your best here in your home country, at your home Grand Slam, and all that.”
After dropping the last five games of her 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 loss to Zheng Jie in the second round of the 2013 Australian Open, Stosur admitted she had choked. She has never been past the fourth round at the Australian Open and is 2-6 in Australian tournaments since 2012.
“It is what it is,” she said. “The last couple of years have been pretty disappointing, so hopefully this year I can really pick up from that and play well. That’s what I want to do, and I know if I play well then I’ve got a chance of doing half decent.”