Ankita Raina: I feel a lot more confident about my game now

Ankita Raina recently lifted the Singapore Open and spoke about the development she feels she has gone through in recent times. Speaking about the Australian Open qualifiers where she was present during her birthday, I got a few more hours of my birthday for sure, she said.

I was thinking that I would be playing my third round of qualifiers at the Australian Open on my birthday and would have qualified for the main draw. That was what I was hoping for, she added. She then admitted that the Singapore Open was a backup option had she not qualified at the Australian Open. I had signed on for the tournament a month ago but the plan wasnt to play here.

I was actually hoping I would be playing in Melbourne, she recollected. She then spoke about the Singapore Open, Just because it was a 25k event, doesnt mean it was easy. Most of the players who were playing had been playing in the qualifiers of the Australian Open with me.

Im usually one of the higher-ranked players in these tournaments but this time, all the players I beat after the first round were ranked higher than me. The fact that she was even making the qualification rounds is something she is taking in positive stride.

Over the last year, Ive been making at least the qualification rounds of the slams regularly. Some people might say that I should have been making this stage a lot earlier in my career but I think everyones career path is different.

Some people get going early in their career and for someone like me, the development happens a lot later, she said. Berdych:If Id won a set vs Rafael Nadal,it would have turned interesting