Despite hard work, comeback falls short in France

Sam Groth and Nicole Gibbs are giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional tennis all year long in My Tennis Life. To read more updates from Sam and Nicole, go to tennischannel.com.

Nicole Gibbs checked in from an ITF Pro Circuit $100,000 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, but fell in her opening round to Teliana Periera, 6-4, 7-5.

Hey there,

I’ve been extremely busy with preparing for my first event back and taking on jet lag during my first week in Europe. Amazingly, thanks to a very thorough plan from my new trainer, Mike, I was able to kick the majority of jet lag symptoms in only about two days. Lots of sun exposure, early wake ups and bedtimes, and avoidance of caffeine were all integral to my quick change to a European circadian rhythm.

While I have not had formal matchplay in a while, I have made a point of playing as many points in practice as possible. In one way, my upcoming matches might be more difficult than usual—shaking off rust, mental and physical, can be a challenge when you’ve been out of competition for a while. But in another, perhaps more important way, they may be some of the easiest I’ve endured. No, I don’t mean because of particular match ups. Every player on tour is capable and wants to win. I mean that much of the pressure will be alleviated for me, knowing that I’ve done absolutely everything in my power to prepare.

Weeks and weeks of utilizing a scientific approach to maximize performance and recovery, optimize nutrition, and get my body into the best shape it’s been in have me feeling as though I’ve left no page unturned. Does this mean that I’ll win? Not necessarily. Does it mean that I will at least play well? No, you can never assure that. But it does mean that I’ve taken care of the “controllables" to a T, and can leave the locker room when my match is called knowing that I’ve already done my part. When the first ball is tossed, my only remaining job will be to compete.

In March, Gibbs stepped away from the tour to rehab multiple injuries. She put in plenty of hard work with trainer Mike Guevera to prepare for her return: