Australian doubles specialist Alexandra Osborne feels confident that 2025 will be the year she vaults into the top 200 mere weeks after deciding not to prematurely pull the pin on her career.
Speaking to The First Serve, the Sydneysider revealed that the ebbs and flows of professional tennis had the Arizona State alumni "seriously considering" retirement before winning the biggest tournament of her career in Tyler, Texas, five weeks ago.
"It’s been a big year mentally for me to figure out if I’m going to continue playing," Osborne said.
"I’ve seriously considered this year whether or not to stop playing. It’s been really challenging for me to work through.
"Before [playing in] Tyler I was dealing with a niggle in my wrist and I’d lost early in my first two tournaments back in America. I was so down and flat. I was thinking these could be the last few tournaments of my career.
"I had two weeks off and four days before the tournament I went on a retreat and didn’t practice at all. I just thought 'whatever happens, happens'."
Asked what brought on those thoughts of retirement, the 29-year-old cited ongoing financial stress, the challenge of watching friends reach life milestones at home, and the frustration of not seeing her ranking grow (which was made harder by recent changes to the WTA ranking system).
Despite her doubts, Osborne and partner Clervie Ngounoue, a product of the renowned Mouratoglou academy, produced a dominant week that culminated in a 6-2, 6-3 win over their American opponents to take out the W100 event; the biggest title of Osborne’s career.
For Osborne, the title saw her ranking rocket from No. 299 to No. 240 and brought her back within touching distance of her career-high of No. 227 which she set in September 2023.
Notwithstanding her challenges, Osborne, who runs her own community Facebook group for friends and family to follow her career from week to week, has benefited from a more consistent 2024 with the Australian regularly in the final four. Her season included nine semi-finals, a runner-up, and the win in Texas.
However, the Texas triumph itself is not the reason she’s going to continue in 2025.
Rather, the left-hander is intrinsically driven by self-belief and confidence that her best tennis can take her where she wants to go.
"Winning the tournament isn’t even the reason why I’m going to continue playing," she declared.
"It’s more that I know where my level is at and I believe I can still have an impact with my game. It’s frustrating that it’s not always reflected in my results but as an athlete, you can’t be that results-based.
"I’m excited to see what happens in the new year. I know I’m so close to a breakthrough. I can beat higher-ranked girls in practice so I know my level is good enough."
That said, her self-belief is not ever-present. Like many, Osborne relies on a strong support system including her family, and in particular, her brother who has taken time out of his PhD studies to assist in her training, and mentors such as Lousie Pleming, to maintain her focus.
"She’s so encouraging," Osborne said of Pleming, who Osborne works alongside with Pleming’s charitable venture, Rally4Ever.
"She really lifts me up. She sees me train day in and day out when I’m home. She knows the work I put in behind the scenes and knows my level. She knows how close I am."
As to what fostered a more consistent 2024, Osborne credits good planning and good fortune.
The former involved a decision to design a tournament schedule based around places she’d never visited before including South Africa, Japan, and China, aiming to see new things, experience new cultures, and keep life on tour fresh and exciting.
The latter involved meeting her now-boyfriend, South African sprinter Rivaldo Roberts, at a tournament gym in Pretoria, South Africa; a place Osborne had never been before, and, ironically, ended up staying two weeks longer than planned due to a change in tournament schedule.
Now, having finished her 2024 season at the W75 hosted at the KDV Sport Tennis Academy in the Gold Coast with a semi-final finish alongside fellow Australian, Alicia Smith, Osborne sits at a career-high ranking of No. 218 and is looking ahead to what she hopes is her best year yet.
"Next year I want to get into the one hundred's and get that over with," revealed Osborne.
"I want to see the world and go to new and different places and play big events and test myself against the best players possible."
Adding to Osborne’s optimism for the season ahead are the new changes to the ITF Women’s tour created by the Player Panel Osborne sits on, such as the mandatory inclusion of hospitality at W50, W75, and W100 events to match the offering received by the men on the Challenger Tour.
"That helps ease a big burden for players like me. I want to see how that impacts my results," she said.
Equally, Osborne is confident a recent racquet change to the HEAD Boom will help her half-court game.
"I’ve been trying racquets out for the last year and a half but I didn’t have the time to fully commit to a change," said Osborne, who spent five weeks testing her new gear during a mid-season trip back to Australia.
"When I came home for five weeks in the middle of the year I wanted these racquets in my hand as soon as I landed to test.
"It suits my game so much more as a doubles player. It feels great in my hand and really balanced. I’ve felt a big difference on the court."
With mere days until preparations for the 2025 season begin, Osborne is looking forward to a week off and has committed to participating in a triathlon on behalf of Pleming’s venture Rally4Ever in Kingscliff.
Her attention will then turn to completing a brief pre-season training block with the support of her brother at her childhood tennis club The Ark in Haberfield, Sydney; a short 10-minute tram ride from Osborne’s family home.
Osborne hopes to start her year at WTA Tour level at either the Brisbane International or ASB Classic in Auckland before completing the remainder of the Australian summer, which coincides nicely with Roberts’ sprinting schedule, before jet-setting to continue what she hopes is another career year. All of which will be literal months from her contemplating a premature retirement.
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