Katie Swan believes recent performances show she has the level to compete with top players, despite being knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round.
Wildcard Swan took the first set but was beaten by Ukrainian world number 58 Marta Kostyuk.
Bristolian Swan, ranked 210th in the world, was competing in her fifth Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old progressed to the second round in her home grand slam once before, in 2018.
“I think the last few weeks especially has shown me I really have the level to keep pushing on and I’ve got some big goals and I’m just looking forward to what’s coming,” Swan told BBC Radio Bristol.
In the weeks before Wimbledon, Swan beat top-50 player Sloane Stephens in the Bad Homburg Open first round, a result she said gave her confidence, while in February she won the W25 Santa Domingo – part of the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour.
“Not just Wimbledon but a couple of weeks of grass tournaments that I was able to play I put in some good performances and was able to show that my game matched up with these top 100 players. I had a top 50 win as well, which was great,” she added.
“I think that match [against Kostyuk] was on my racquet to win. Unfortunately I didn’t come through but I learnt a lot from the match, I’ve been through it with my team quite a lot just taking the positives and things to improve and I really feel like it’s put me in a good place to continue for the rest of the year.”
A new base and new team
Swan moved to the USA from Bristol with her family when she was a child and until recently was based in Wichita, Kansas.
However, in November she moved back to London where she now bases her training with a newly built team around her. The change has refreshed her career.
“It’s not been an easy pro life for me, there’s been a lot of ups and downs for different reasons, a lot of injuries and stop-start,” she added.
“But I feel like in the last six months even just kind of creating my own team and programme around me, moving away from my parents, it’s a big commitment and I think just doing that has put me in a good place mentally.
“Just knowing that I’m taking control and ownership of my career.”
Swan remains under the tutelage of long-term coach Julien Picot and said the two have been spending a lot of time talking about “psychology”. However, she now also works with former-British pro Alex Ward, while another coach oversees her programme.
Improving her…
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