Justine Henin-Hardenne says she has finally emerged from a dark tunnel and is ready to defend her US Open title.
The world number one and top seed here was struck down by a lingering viral illness, cytomegalovirus, for a large chunk of the year and it seemed unlikely she would be in a fit state to play at Flushing Meadows.
The 22-year-old, who was forced to miss Wimbledon, returned from an eight-week lay-off to win the gold medal at the Athens Olympics and appears to be once again firing on all cylinders.
"I played six matches in seven days (in Athens) at a very high level," said the Belgian, who thrashed world number two Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-3 6-3 in the final nine days ago.
"I was a little bit surprised the way I came back, not only physically, but also with my concentration. I was so happy to be back and that helped me achieve what I did," she said today.
There was a time after her shock second-round loss to little-known Italian Tathiana Garbin at the French Open in May when she wondered whether her health would return.
"When you feel like that you don't see the end of the tunnel, that's for sure," said Henin-Hardenne, who faces 15-year-old Czech qualifier Nicole Vaidisova in the first round on Tuesday.
"Then one day I woke up and said 'I feel better today'. I didn't want to sleep all day, which hadn't happened for four months. It was a tough time, but I knew when I was healthy again I would find my level."
If anything, Henin-Hardenne believes the experience of this year has been a useful wake-up call and will allow her to stay at the top for longer.
"If I want to play for a long career, I'll have to be smart with my schedule. It's not just physical, it's all the pressure that's around the court that takes your energy," she said.
"At one stage I felt like a machine, but then you wake up sick, tired, and you need something else. I never want that to happen again."
US Open second seed Mauresmo made a steady start to her quest for a first grand-slam title as she beat American Marissa Irvin 6-4 6-2 to reach the second round.
The Frenchwoman, a semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2002, was made to fight harder than expected but her greater consistency proved the difference as she clinched victory in one hour, 13 minutes.
She'll meet either American Amber Liu or Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine in round two.