Gibbs gives an update on decision to take time off

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 sat down the Tennis Channel to open up about the tough decisions she's made this season, stepping away from the tour to rehab multiple injuries instead of chasing ranking points on tour.

"I think the decision was ultimately kind of made for me..." Gibbs said. "I had been carrying some injuries from early on in the season. My knee had been bothering me since January 1—first thing off the plane in Auckland."

The 24-year-old also started feeling pain in her wrist after Miami. She embraced the rehab process, and settled into her new Los Angeles home.

One of the biggest challenges on tour is listening to your body, and not putting yourself in a position where you are so injured that you need six months off. Gibbs got ahead of it, taking just a month to reset her season.

She's successfully back on court, training hard with a return to the tour set for next week at an ITF Pro Circuit $100,000 in France.

Though she embraced her extra time at home wholeheartedly, the American still didn't let loose quite as much as a normal person her age would.

Gibbs' best performance so far this year has been a third-round showing in Melbourne. She's ranked No. 122 heading into the clay-court swing.