A first round victory at the Australian Open on Monday brought joy to Storm Hunter, but she has found a deeper motivation in achieving something nobody else – she believes – has done in world tennis.
The 31-year-old defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-4 in 87 minutes on Kia Arena on Monday, surging back from a break down in both sets.
Winning a grand slam match is one thing. Doing it with a surgically repaired achilles tendon is something else.
“To come back from an achilles rupture, I don’t know anyone who has done it in tennis,” Hunter said afterwards, about an injury that has become surmountable in basketball and football but still represents a career-ending threat in tennis.
Over 18 months of slow recovery, she initially limited herself to doubles and lower-level matches as she built resilience, comparing her physical output with her pre-surgery self.
“We used a lot of data from my matches pre-injury, about what the requirements are with speed, distance covered,” she said “Then we mapped out a return-to-play plan.”
She also sought assistance from experts in other sports, including Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning diver Annabelle Smith. “It was a little bit of a test, obviously going by my feedback to how I’m feeling, how I’m pulling up from sessions,” she said.
“In a way, I also was motivated by the fact that no one had done it in tennis, I wanted to prove that you could come back.”
Hunter had to win through qualifying last week to secure her place in the main draw, after a difficult year and a half following an achilles injury.
“Coming back from an achilles rupture is really tough mentally and physically, all the training,” she said. “I didn’t think I could be back playing at this level again and so I’m just happy all the hard work I’ve done with my team, it’s paid off.”
Bouzas Maneiro is ranked 40, more than 300 places above the Australian. But Hunter looked more assured on a warm day at Kia Arena, which saw queues of people snaking around its perimeter hoping to catch a glimpse of the first of nine Australians in action on Monday.
The former doubles world No 1 hit more winners and had fewer unforced errors than the Spaniard and returned 84% of serves, a rate 16 percentage points higher than Bouzas Maneiro.
Hunter meets world No 70 Hailey Baptiste in the second round, after the American beat countrywoman Taylor Townsend – a lucky loser – in three sets on Sunday.
The Australian told the on-court announcer she “is so full of joy” playing the tournament. “I can’t believe I get another singles match,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling.
Priscilla Hon became the third Australian woman to reach the second round, following victories by Hunter and Sunday’s winner Talia Gibson, after her opponent retired hurt.
The 27-year-old, who was given a wildcard for the tournament, was already close to victory – leading 5-3 in the third set – when Canadian qualifier Marina Stakusic retired.
She slumped to the ground appearing to suffer from cramps, and required a wheelchair to leave the court.
Hon had not reached the second round at Melbourne Park since 2020, and now faces either 29th seed Iva Jović or another American, Katie Volynets.
Jordan Thompson booked his place in the second round after beating Juan Manuel Cerundolo in four sets, but another Argentinian – Thiago Agustín Tirante – proved too strong for Aleks Vukic, winning 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
