Sam Querrey says that after breaking up his fiancée last summer, he found it difficult to maintain motivation.

“I didn't have the same energy and desire to be out there, the effort wasn’t 100 percent," Querrey told USTA.com. “It was a tough year personally because I was engaged and it ended at beginning of the summer. It was difficult for the five to six months.”

Querrey produced one solid result last summer, reaching the Winston-Salem semifinals before Adrian Mannarino upset him in the second round of the U.S. Open. Querrey said he began to feel better in October in Beijing, where he defeated Mikhail Youzhny and Stanislas Wawrinka before losing to Novak Djokovic. But he tore an abdominal muscle and was forced to take the rest of the season off, a break he said he needed.

“With my attitude, I needed a little break," said Querrey, who has reached the third round of the Australian Open, where he will play Fabio Fognini. “I had to reboot. It was the best month of my year. I needed to be a regular person for a while and once I was able to work out and practice again, it got me excited for the off-season. Now I feel like I have a fresh start. I am halfway through my career and moving into the next phase.”