\n<\/p>\n
People call me a ‘late bloomer’ because of what happened last year. <\/p>\n
I had never gone past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament before, and then I reached the Australian Open fourth round before my runs at the French Open and Wimbledon.<\/p>\n
I also had more success in the doubles and won Olympic gold with my good friend Sara Errani in Paris. It was a special, special year.<\/p>\n
So what changed? Of course, things don’t change overnight. <\/p>\n
Every week we tried to add something which improved my game and, of course, winning matches is what really helps.<\/p>\n
I had a good finish to the 2023 season which meant I started 2024 with more confidence in my game.<\/p>\n
I was nervous when I came to Melbourne because I had never gone past the first round here. <\/p>\n
After I won the first match here, I felt a huge amount of relief and things continued to improve. <\/p>\n
I reached the fourth round before losing to Anna Kalinskaya, so a run like that gave me much more confidence for the whole year.<\/p>\n
Because I’m in my late 20s, sometimes I thought the chance of having this kind of success had gone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n