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Martina Trevisan (Photo by Shi Tang\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
SANTIAGO, Chile \u2013 Martina Trevisan<\/a> is back on court after a year out with injury, proud of the success her Italian Billie Jean King Cup teammates achieved in her absence, and paying attention to what Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> will do in the controversial end-of-year exhibition \u201cBattle of the Sexes\u201d against Nick Kyrgios<\/a> in Dubai.<\/p>\n “I’ll cheer for Aryna, of course,” she told CLAY in an interview also published by RG Media.<\/p>\n Trevisan, a former world No. 18, underwent foot surgery<\/a> in March, went through a successful recovery process, and is now looking to regain the level that helped lead Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title in 2024.<\/p>\n The interview took place in Santiago, Chile, after the Italian\u2019s participation in the WTA 125 in Colina, where she lost in the first round but rediscovered important sensations. “I still love this game and this life,” said the 32-year-old.<\/p>\n Trevisan also praised the progress of her friend and teammate Jasmine Paolini<\/a>, highlighting above all the attitude of the world No. 8, who led Italy in the defence of its title in the former Fed Cup: “She\u2019s a very happy person and doesn\u2019t take everything too seriously. That\u2019s important in tennis life because you often lose.”<\/p>\n Interview with Martina Trevisan<\/p>\n \u2013 It\u2019s been a difficult year for you with a big injury, but I see you happy coming back to the court. What are your feelings now?<\/p>\n \u2014 Yes. I\u2019ve been through a very difficult year since last November. I underwent surgery in March after so many treatments that didn\u2019t work. It\u2019s been challenging, but the positive side is that every day I feel a bit better, and my body is reacting the right way. I still need work and practice to rebuild my body, but the big change is I don\u2019t have that pain that made it hard even to wake up in the morning, to just walk. Coming back is never easy after nine months away without matches, so I need to be patient. But I\u2019m very happy to be back on court and to compete. I still love this game and this life. That is the important thing. I just have to be patient and work very hard every day.<\/p>\n \u2013 During that time away from the courts, how were you feeling mentally?<\/p>\n \u2014 Honestly, I thought it would be easier to manage. Sometimes after surgery and after the first matches, it was very hard. I\u2019m working a lot on myself, especially off court, because I believe if you feel better off the court, you\u2019ll feel better on the court. I\u2019m trying to work on myself and, honestly, I can say I\u2019m enjoying time off court now more than before the surgery.<\/p>\n \u2013 You were one of the Billie Jean King Cup champions last year representing Italy. This season you were coming back and you were not selected \u2014how did it feel to be away from the team while your country was defending the trophy?<\/p>\n \u2014 I\u2019m very happy for the girls. They did an amazing job\u2014defending the title is never easy. I followed them through the whole week in Shenzhen (China). Of course, I wanted to be part of it. Even if I wasn\u2019t there physically, I felt part of the team. As a professional player, I would’ve love to be there, but this was a tricky year for me and we have to accept that sometimes you can\u2019t be with the team. I\u2019m very happy for my country, for Tatiana (Garbin, the captain), Elisabetta (Cocciaretto), Lucia (Bronzetti), Jasmine (Paolini).<\/p>\n \u2013 Jasmine is such an important player for the team, and her career has really taken off at an older age than the average elite tennis player. How do you analyse her path?<\/p>\n \u2014 I always thought Jasmine was a great player with an explosive forehand and backhand. Even when she was 80, 95, 115, 150\u2014whatever ranking\u2014I believed she was incredible and that at some point she would show how good she is. She believes more in herself now. She\u2019s very stubborn\u2014in a good way. I remember three or four years ago she played an ITF and lost first round to a very young player, maybe without ranking. I messaged her to check how she was. She wasn\u2019t happy to lose, but she was still positive. She\u2019s a very happy person and doesn\u2019t take everything too seriously. That\u2019s important in tennis life because you lose often. If you focus too much on a loss, it\u2019s hard to react well. Jasmine handles this side very well compared to others: she tends to take things the right way.<\/p>\n \u2013 When you look at the current top 10, do you see an open field for more players to break through?<\/p>\n