Kimberly Birrell provides an insight into her practice routines in our “Train with the Pros” series.
Gold Coast, Australia, 23 August 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Kimberly Birrell has never shied away from hard work.
The resilient competitor has fought back from several career-threatening injuries and was rewarded with a top-100 breakthrough last season.
The 26-year-old from Gold Coast achieved a new career-first this week at the US Open, qualifying at a major tournament for the first time.
> READ: Birrell among a record six Australians to qualify at US Open 2024
In our Train with the Pros series, Birrell shares an insight into her practice routines and offers valuable advice for aspiring players.
Do you have a favourite time to practice?
Well, I’m notoriously not a morning person (laughs). So ideally I’d get to sleep in, then get going around 10am. If I can sleep past 7am then I’m really happy and once I get my coffee, I feel like I’m a much better person. A perfect day for me would be to practice around 10am, then again just after lunch. I think a lot of people don’t realise that it is a whole day thing when we’re practising, it’s not just a couple of hours. It’s kind of like working a 9-to-5 normal job.
Do you have a favourite part of your game to work on?
I think that it’s good to practice your weaknesses that you need to work on, but also practice your strengths a lot too. I like to do a bit of everything, but most of all, working on my attacking game and coming forward. I’ve really been trying to work on my volleys in the past year, as well as a lot of serving and returning well on the first ball.
Do you have a least favourite part of your game to work on?
I hate doing Wattbike sessions. I think that’s because when I was injured, I had to do a lot of bike sessions because I couldn’t run for a period of time. I had to do bike sessions every day and by the end of it, I was dreading them. I way prefer to go for a run, rather than sitting on a stationary bike with my own thoughts.
Can you recall your first opportunity to hit with a professional player?
It would have been with Sam Stosur, because she is from the Gold Coast as well and she grew up playing at my parent’s club in Southport. I remember if she ever spent Christmas at home, she would come into Queens Park and would always get me out on court with her for the last five minutes of her sessions. She was always so generous with her time to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis.com.au – Tennis Australia…