ÖTV ace Julia Grabher
“I want to get back into the top 100”
The year 2024 was a difficult one for Julia Grabher. The tennis ace injured her wrist in August 2023, followed by a long period of suffering. But now the Vorarlberg native wants to get going again and is eager for the new year.
"That time was very difficult for me," admits Julia Grabher, looking back at the start of her tennis year in 2024, when she lost her first seven matches. "No defeat is nice. Especially not so many in a row. But it was much worse that I couldn't play without pain at that point."
Looking back: Shortly before the US Open in August 2023, the Dornbirn native injured her right wrist. Unlike Dominic Thiem, who had a similar injury, she opted for an operation. Unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect.
"But since I had a second minor operation at the end of May to correct what was bothering me before, things have been looking up," says the 28-year-old, who was also allowed to serve at the Olympic Games in Paris, but lost there in round one to Emma Navarro (US) 2:6, 0:6. "That was only six weeks after my second operation and I was anything but in shape then," says Julia. "Nevertheless, the Olympics in Paris was something quite unique for me. An experience that was very motivating for me."
Just as motivating as her 14th tour title, which she won in October at the ITF W35 event in Sardinia, where she played her way through the qualifiers to the final. "I was finally able to play several matches in a row again. You need that to get back into a rhythm," Grabher reveals. "In Sardinia, I saw that I'm going in the right direction again, that I can still do it. That was very, very important for my self-confidence."
Christmas in New Zealand
After celebrating Christmas in Auckland (Nzl) with her mother Heike and brother Alex, who is currently also her touring coach, Julia will also be playing in the WTA 250 tournament there from December 30. "I can still play six tournaments with a protected ranking until mid-March," explains Austria's former number one. "That's why I'll also be playing in the main competition at the Australian Open." Six chances to collect as many points as possible for the world rankings. "Ideally, I'd like to be ranked around 200th again afterwards so that I can then play the Paris qualifiers. By the end of the year, however, I want to be back in the top 100 in the world," says Julia.
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