Jarmila Gajdosova

*WTA Estoril: Gadjosova retired due to a left ankle injury

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http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2012/358/MDS.pdf

Gajdosova's thoughts on her 2011 season:

“Every tennis player is in kind of a spotlight, and we get talked about a lot. I tried to kind of stop thinking about it, and stop reading about it, but it does hurt, eventually. It was a hard year, and tennis was all I had to work with. And I can say there were times I wished I didn’t have to go on the court in front of people so I don’t have to be talked about again, and criticized, and being told what I did wrong or what I didn’t do.”

“Some people literally told me that they thought I wasn’t pretty,” Gajdosova added. “But it’s a New Year coming. I’m looking forward to the new start.”

NY Times

Tennis star Jarmila Gajdosova will return to defend her Hobart International title next month.
Gajdosova, Australia's second ranked player, will prepare for the Australian Open by targeting successive titles at the Domain Tennis Centre from January 6-14.
The world No.33 has had an outstanding year, which peaked with a career- high ranking of 25 in May.
This year Gajdosova collected her second WTA title after her 2010 victory in China and reached the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
She also represented Australia in Fed Cup matches against Italy in February and the Ukraine in April.
Gajdosova said she was keen to begin her Open build-up in Hobart.
``I'm really excited about coming back and after my success this year I hope to perform well in early January,'' she said.

AAP.

Jarka has gone back to her maiden surname Gajdosova after separating from Sam Groth recently. She has stated though that she is very happy in Sydney (and Australia) and has no intention of quitting Fed Cup tennis for Australia.

(If this has already been reported elsewhere, my apologies.)

Thanks Uleso, but apparently she will remain under the "SVK" tag until she is sworn in. A few months away, but it's just a technicality. She's Australian.

Changed Groth's nationality from Slovakian to Australian.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Apart from now being a naturalised Australian, Groth is well on the way to recoverig from an ankle operation three months ago.

Groth: "I'm running, I'm jumping, and on court for about an hour every day."

SYDNEY — Jarmila Groth will become eligible to play for Australia after she is officially granted citizenship this week, Tennis Australia said on Sunday.

The Slovak-born Groth, 22, who is married to Australian tennis professional Sam Groth, will be sworn in during a special ceremony in Canberra on Monday, TA said.

"It?s a dream come true and I am incredibly excited and proud to become a citizen of this great nation, whose people have welcomed me so warmly and have made me feel at home since the very first time I came here," said Groth, who gained her residency in 2004.

Groth, who reached a career-high WTA Tour singles ranking of 57 in July, is recovering from an ankle injury suffered at the US Open and is in training ahead of the Australian Open in January.

Tennis Australia?s Director of Tennis, Craig Tiley, said the 113th-ranked Groth will become eligible to play Fed Cup for Australia immediately her citizenship is formally conferred.

"Tennis Australia and the Australian tennis community in general have been very supportive throughout the entire process and I am really looking forward to representing Australia year-round and doing so successfully," she said.

Groth will make her Australian debut on the WTA Tour at the Brisbane International, beginning on January 3.

Jarmila Groth badly hurt her ankle, as some may be aware, during a doubles match in New York at the US Open and was eventually hospitalised because of it due to some over-swelling and the excessive pain experienced by the Slovak-cum-Aussie.

After further tests, doctors cleared Groth of any complete break in the area but she has been advised not to put any pressure on it and has thus been on crutches and a walking boot.

Jarka is now back in her homeland Australia - for the first time since she married ATP giant Sam back in Feb - but has been unable to fulfil her initial hopes of playing in last week's event in Tokyo. Wouldn't be surprised if that's all we see of Groth for 2009.