28 August 2017 | Camilla Campbell

Sam Stosur didn’t choose tennis. Tennis chose her. It was Christmas in Adelaide, 1992, when Sam’s next door neighbor made the seemingly innocuous decision to give her a racquet. It was a gift that changed the course of her life, launching her journey as one of the most successful female players in Australian history.

Fast forward 25 years, and Stosur is devastated at having to withdraw from the US Open which starts today. It’s a tournament she loves dearly, and there’s little wonder why. Sam plays her best tennis at Flushing Meadows. The 2011 US Open title, where she became the first Australian to win a Grand Slam in 31 years, undoubtedly the highlight.

“It’s a fun tournament. It’s kind of crazy and it’s loud,” she said.

“I pulled it all together (there) a few years ago and managed to win which was good. I’ve managed to play some good matches there over the years.

“I think it’s the conditions and the surface that can kind of help me, I enjoy playing in those conditions.”

Watching from the couch this year is a major disappointment for Stosur, who was in form when the fracture in her right hand took hold at the French Open in June. Playing in the fourth round against Ostapenko, who went on to win the title, Stosur struggled to fight through the pain, and lost in three sets.

Since then, it’s been a slow process getting herself pain-free; Sam starting by hitting compression balls while focusing on her fitness.

“It’s a delicate balance to feel like you’re doing enough to improve it but not doing so much you go backwards,” said Stosur before she withdrew from the US Open.

“I have been training pretty hard in the gym doing some more running and cardio work.”

But when she started ball striking at full-capacity earlier this week and still felt a twinge of pain, Sam knew she wasn’t ready to return. Instead, she’ll be watching with interest as the new world number one, Karolina Pliskova, attempts to take out her first Grand Slam, capitalizing on the absence of Serena Williams.

“I think Pliskova has a pretty good chance she made the finals last year I think she didn’t do as well at Wimbledon as I thought she could possibly do, but she’s a really dangerous player and I think hardcourt is her best surface.

“However well she is handling being number one now I guess time will tell,” said Sam.

But if Pliskova is to do well, Sam foresees a few contenders.

“Muguruza seems to have found some form again. Wozniaki plays really well in New York at the Open, she’s made the final (previously) and has played some really consistent results there. Who knows.”

Now ranked 44 in the world, Stosur is far from ready to call time on what has been a remarkable career. A career which stems first and foremost from an unwavering love of tennis. As soon as Samheld her first racquet as an eight year old, she’s never lost her passion for the sport.

“We were living at Adelaide near a park with five tennis courts which was handy, suddenly I ended up with this racquet and we’d go down there every day after school me and my brothers and we started playing and I really enjoyed it,” says Sam.

“I found it fun hitting the ball, I just swung the racquet really hard and tried to hit winners and most of the time I’m sure they weren’t going in. I just really enjoyed running around and playing,” she remembers.

“My nature is pretty competitive anyway so to be able to get out there and play, work things out, and being able to compete in that way is kind of what I loved.”

Older brother Daniel was almost driven mad by Sam’s new obsession.

“He’s (Daniel) eight years older than me, so he got lumped with babysitting duties while mum and dad were at work,” she laughs.

“He played a little bit of tennis at school – nothing at a really good level – but definitely he was a big part of me starting, and continuing. He was the one that told mum and dad that I should get lessons.”

For Sam, tennis was never a lonely sport. Her early days on court revolved around weekend fixtures, playing with friends and as part of a team.

“My best friend now is someone I met (at tennis) when I was nine. I was nine and she was ten. I always enjoyed being at the tennis with my friends,” said Sam.

And it wasn’t just tennis that took Sam’s fancy, she relished in all physical activity, and would sometimes resist playing for the school tennis team because she was so interested in taking part in everything else.

“I loved everything, even throughout my primary school years, I never really wanted to be on the tennis team because I wanted to go and do other sports – but I obviously had to be on the tennis team,” she laughs.

Sam’s healthy outlook on the sport has enabled a long and successful career. Reaching her highest ranking of four in singles, and one in doubles, Sam’s perspective on playing tennis is both refreshing and relevant.

“You don’t have to play sport at a young age to think you are going to be a professional, to be the best in the world,” she says.

“I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in that and people early on make the decision that they are going to play one sport. When I was young and I first started I thought ‘I want to be a professional tennis player’ but I had no idea what that meant.”

Sam’s advice for young girls starting out is simple; enjoy it first and foremost.

“You don’t have to think it’s going to be your life, just do it because you enjoy it.

“I think it’s a great avenue for kids, it’s a whole other social network, it’s fun, it’s great for exercise, your health and wellbeing.

“I think sometimes people early on get caught up in thinking if I do this I’ve got to be great and turn it into a career, that doesn’t have to be the case, do it because it’s fun and social and who knows where you will go.”