Quarantine exit imminent, Ellen Perez sets sights on deep Australian Open run

The Shellharbour talent will officially leave lockdown at midnight on Tuesday night and she has her sights set on a successful Australian Open.

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The 25-year-old will pair up with Daria Gavrilova for the women's doubles, the duo eyeing a run deep into the second week.

"I'm at the point in doubles where I feel confident and believe I belong," Perez said. "I've won some WTA events, played those top girls and had wins, so there's no reason why we can't win it.

"Once you get the first win on the board, things start rolling. There's no reason we can't do well, make it to a quarter final and further.

"I've made the third round at the US Open, I'd like to take it one step further and then push for a grand slam."

While optimistic she can thrive in Melbourne, Perez is nervous about the impact two weeks of hard quarantine will have on her game.

The left-hander travelled to Dubai for singles qualifying, before her return home was delayed by the emergence of flu-like symptoms.

A wait to receive a negative coronavirus test result saw saw her miss the final Tennis Australia charter plane, leaving Perez to complete 14 days of hotel quarantine without the on-court practice time many of her fellow players have received.

It's a saga she could have avoided had she chosen to focus purely on doubles, but the emerging talent has no regrets about prioritising her singles aspirations.

She remains an outside chance of receiving entry into the singles draw.

As her Instagram videos have revealed, Perez has attempted to keep fit in her room. She is aware, however, there is no substitute for match practice.

"I'm not sure anyone really knows how quarantine will affect them. When you're not getting the same quantity and intensity of training, it's hard to know what the limit for your body is. There's no real way to train in a hotel room to prepare for playing.

"After my last quarantine I played 10 days after and it was pretty rough, I didn't feel very well prepared. This time I'll only have seven days, so it will be pushing it, but hopefully I've prepared better.

"Playing doubles means I'm only covering half a court so it's not as difficult. Everyone else is in a similar boat, so maybe I can better handle the circumstances."

While Perez and Gavrilova have spent limited time on court together, the partnership was built on the back of two weeks together in hotel quarantine last year.

So close have they become, Perez will be a bridesmaid when Gavrilova marries fellow tennis player Luke Saville later this year.

A singles specialist, the 26-year-old's low ranking means their on-court partnership is likely to be short lived. Perez, currently 47 in the world doubles rankings, is confident it will be a brief, but successful, fling.

"We haven't had any real tests yet but we've played some practice matches against the other Australians and did really well together.

"We have a great balance in what we each do well and don't do well. We complement each other's games.

"It's also great to have a good friendship, we can talk about anything, be super honest and have a laugh. We enjoy our time on court and are a great team, we just have to get more time together on court."