Ellen Perez has returned to Australia with renewed optimism about the fate of the upcoming summer of tennis.
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The Shellharbour talent contested the women's doubles at the US Open and French Open, bowing out in the first round on each occasion.
She experienced contrasting environments, with American authorities establishing a tight bubble in New York.
The situation was far more relaxed in Paris, players regularly interacting with members of the public and enjoying a less rigid testing regime.
That came despite the fact coronavirus cases continued to surge in France during September.
Based on what she saw at the two tournaments and with Australia enjoying relatively low levels of COVID-19, Perez is confident this year's domestic summer will be a successful one.
"Right now they're pushing for an Australian Open at the same time with half capacity, which would be unreal," Perez said.
"[Tennis Australia CEO] Craig Tilley is extremely smart. He knows exactly what they were doing overseas, he saw what they did well, what they did wrong.
"They're still waiting for government approval, but they're hoping to set up a quarantine program that would allow international players to train during that two weeks."
Perez returned home last month, enduring two weeks of hotel quarantine in Perth alongside Daria Gavrilova before travelling back to NSW.
The 25-year-old spent two months in Europe and the US, the highlight being a run to the doubles final of the Istanbul Open.
While overall pleased with the way she played, Perez acknowledged she must improve her consistency if she is to climb up the WTA singles rankings.
"I'm not that far off in ability when I put it together, it's just about being able to have consistently good results.
"Some of the biggest gains come from playing the top girls. I played (World No.11) Aryna Sabalenka in Strasbourg and it made me realise I'm not far off.
"The girls ranked between 50 and 200 in the world are no different in ability, you just need that one break through, that one good week.
"All it takes is one good week and your ranking rises, it gives you confidence and you go from there."
The exact schedule for the upcoming summer is still to be confirmed, but Perez is hoping to use the next couple of months as a launching pad for the key events.
Once borders reopen, she will return to Tennis Australia's Melbourne base to complete a solid block of training.
A small number of matches will likely pop up along the way, Perez aiming to play in the recently established UTR tournaments.
From there, the left-hander is eyeing WTA events in Adelaide and Brisbane as lead in competitions for January's Australian Open.
"It's tough, my doubles ranking is high, but to improve my singles ranking I will have to go back to ITF level. That makes it tough to pick and choose my events.
"Right now I'm focused on training, I need to get that repetition, movement and hit some balls. I lose my rhythm after a break, so I need to get some good weeks of training.
"Once I get by base back I'll start preparing for Brisbane and Adelaide then into the Australian Open."