Australian Jarmila Gajdosova is optimistic that she has turned the corner and is ready for a full-scale comeback after battling a seven-month illness. The former world No. 25 just returned after spending much of the season trying to recover from a bout of mononucleosis, which reduced her to spending entire weekends in bed. She recently played through qualifying and reached the semifinals of a $125,000 tournament in Nanjing, China.
''Every case is different, and as well as I knew Sam Stosur] recovered from hers and did so well ever since, my first step is to see if I can come back at all,'' Gajdosova [told the *Melbourne Age*. ''I always had hope, but only time will tell.''
The 26-year-old believes she pushed herself too hard in 2012 when her marriage to fellow player Sam Groth ended in April and her mother passed away in September. She said that by December she already knew she was unwell.
''I think I got sick in the first place because of everything [that had happened], and pushing through and trying to play through it, and I think my body just eventually had enough,” she said. "And then in a way, yes, it was a good break, because it gave me time just to recover my body, and mentally, and actually step on the court with the joy and happiness again in my life. So in a way it was very positive, and on the other hand it was very negative, because I wasn't sure if I can ever play again, but now looking at it I feel very grateful and happy that I can step back on the court and I can train the way I want to train, and that I get to compete again.''
Gajdosova, who is currently ranked No. 234, also said the experience taught her to try and reduce the amount of stress in her life.
''Yeah, in a way it's like a new beginning, and whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen, and I'm not too fussed about it," she said. "I'm just going to take it match by match and see if I can improve, and get back to the groove, the way I used to play. If I do it straight away, it will be awesome; if I don't, I don't want to put any timeline on when I want to be back to where I was, because it's still a long way. But I'm just happy that the body's holding up, and I can train and I can compete every day.''