Petrova back on track after difficult months

STUTTGART, Oct 10 (Reuters) Nadia Petrova's victory over French teenager Tatiana Golovin in Sunday's Stuttgart Grand Prix final marked the end of a traumatic few months for the quiet Russian.

The 24-year-old Petrova had broken a title drought last October in Linz, after losing four previous finals. After that first title came a flurry of others as she added Doha, Amelia Island, Charleston and Berlin to her portfolio.

She won three tournaments in succession, grinding out her victories on the clay courts of the United States before crossing to Europe to continue her run. After winning the German Open, by beating off Justine Henin-Hardenne in a dramatic final, Petrova rose to a career-high three in the world in May.

Then her world came crashing down.

She had to pull out of Rome with a chest muscle injury. Then she suffered a right hip injury and she was out of tennis for weeks.

Since her return she has found it much harder than expected to get back to the level she was at before.

''I was really close to achieving what I wanted. I had it in my hands and one day everything turned around and I didn't have it any more. That was very difficult for me to accept,'' Petrova said in Germany.

''I was out for about 10 weeks and the doctors were not very promising. They said I would have the pains through the rest of my career. Of course I thought 'why me, why now?''' She struggled through her first tournaments, not winning a match in four attempts. In the next three tournaments, she managed just three wins.

RIGHT DECISIONS ''I'm actually very surprised it has taken so long to get back and coming back was very difficult emotionally and mentally,'' Petrova admitted. ''I was really playing at the highest level of my tennis and performing well, and coming back I thought at one point in the beginning I might be able to come and play the same tennis.

''But when I got back on court and played my first match I realised it's completely different and that swept me from my feet. I really fell hard so I had to build up everything from scratch again.

''It's not about the skills. I could hit the ball well in practise but it's all about playing the matches, taking the right decisions, staying focused, and really sometimes it was difficult to combine the thoughts with what you have to do.

''You can picture it in your mind what it should be but your body has to get it back and I've had difficulties to combine this. In my head I had one picture and my body was doing completely different. I felt I was completely un-coordinated. My legs were going one way, my arms were going the other way.'' Winning the Stuttgart title is definitely a huge step in the right direction but Petrova knows there is still much to do.

''It's a victory, it's great but next week is another tournament and I'll be very happy if I can show the same tennis,'' she said.

''That will show to me that I'm really standing firm with my feet on the ground again.'' REUTERS AY BD0958