Laura Robson struggles on return to WTA Tour in Nottingham

Laura Robson admitted she found life tough on her return to the main tour as it ended in a first-round defeat to Julia Boserup at the Aegon Open in Nottingham.

The 23-year-old has been playing on the ITF circuit, a level below the WTA Tour, as she continues to rebuild her career following two rounds of wrist surgery, but returned to the top tier and went down 6-4 6-3 to the American.

It was her first match in the main draw of a WTA tournament since the US Open and she remains without a win at this level since April 2015.

Laura Robson lost in the first round (Martin Rickett/PA)

She has been performing well on the ITF, recently winning a 60k tournament in Japan – the biggest title of her career – but was unable to make the step up in windy conditions.

“I am disappointed with how it went because I had so many break-point opportunities but I just couldn’t make court on most of them,” she said.

“It never gave me a chance to get into the match.

“It is a step up in level to what I have been playing and it might take me time to adjust to a different pace of ball, different tactics. It has been an adjustment and I haven’t done so well.

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Laura Robson in action in Nottingham. Playing her first WTA main draw match since US Open last August. #AegonOpen

9:49 PM - 12 Jun 2017 · Nottingham, England

 
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“I had three really good weeks in Japan, I was super consistent in the most number of matches I have been for a long time and I have had to take a bit of time off because I had a shin problem and maybe that disrupted the way I was feeling with the confidence.”

The grass-court season is barely six weeks long and Robson will try to qualify for tournaments in Birmingham and Eastbourne before Wimbledon.

She will have to go through qualifying or rely on a wild card to make the main draw at SW19 next month, something which she is relaxed about, before heading back to the ITF.

She added: “Japan was a lower-ranked tournament, it is what it is, but I have to play those to be able to play these. I did well in that one so I am here this week.

Laura Robson was in action on the first day of the Aegon Open (Martin Rickett/PA)

“You have to have a mix of both. After the grass my plan is to go back to those tournaments and hopefully keep winning and work my way up like every one else.

“Wimbledon can decide by themselves, obviously I would love one (a wild card) and just to play in qualifying or main draw would be a bonus.

“It means a lot to every Brit to play there, I live down the road and things like that make a difference.

“But to be honest I am not even thinking about that at the minute, we still have two weeks.”