Dunne bounces back from injury in Surbiton – Eurosport

Katy Dunne has spent the last two months on the sidelines but the Hemel Hempstead tennis star bounced back with a bang in the first round of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.

The 29-year-old has been out of action with a shoulder injury but hit the ground running on her return, getting the better of Canada’s Carol Zhao in the first round in Surbiton.

The British No.10 won in straight sets, 6-4 6-4, and was ecstatic at the quality of the performance in front of the Centre Court crowd.

She said: “It was good to be back out. I had to take two months out with shoulder injections. That was my first match back, so it is a very nervy feeling when you haven’t had any matches under your belt. But I love playing in front of people so I was happy when I got Centre Court. I just had to fight with myself to play a positive style of tennis. It can be tough when you don’t have that match practice.

“It was a reoccurrence of an inflammation in my bursa and my AC joint, I had to have an injection in both. It was not ideal timing because I was playing good tennis and winning matches. I felt like I could steadily climb up the rankings.”

Dunne has enjoyed success at Surbiton in the past, including reaching the quarter-finals in 2019 before losing to eventual champion Alison Riske from the USA.

That was the year that Dunne also featured in the main draw at Wimbledon, taking on former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

And having struggled to play a full season on the grass court since, Dunne is keen to put together a string of matches this summer.

She added: “My old coach messaged me yesterday saying you love a bit of Surbiton. You always dig it out there and get a couple of wins!

“I felt fully fit, ready to go, it was just more getting through the nerves. I’m pretty proud of myself for how I dealt with it.

“I’m just very happy to be playing. I haven’t played a full grass season since 2018. I played here in 2019, lost to Alison Riske, who won it. Then, the following tournament I hurt myself and was out of it singles-wise. This is the first time, I’ve started the grass season, so I’m happy to be here. Anything is a bonus.”

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website