Alison Bai hopes early entry to the Australian Open doubles draw will ease the pressure when she begins her bid to secure a singles spot for the first time in her career.
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Bai will play against No. 8 seed Olivia Tjandramulia in the first round of the Australian Open wildcard play-off at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old has already secured a doubles berth alongside Zoe Hives and knows she will be playing in the first grand slam of 2018 regardless of her performance this week.
But the icing on the cake would be a chance to play against the best players in the world on Australia's biggest stage if she can make a charge at the play-off.
"If you take [top seed Arina Rodionova] out of it, it's actually pretty open," Bai said.
"Everyone is sort of at the same level, anything can happen at this play-off. Last year I put a lot of pressure on myself at this wildcard play-off because I knew there was a massive opportunity.
"That definitely hindered my performance. So this time around I'm trying to come in with a more relaxed approach.
"I'm feeling pretty good on court ... I just want to enjoy it and enjoy being around all of the girls again.
"It's nice coming in being already guaranteed a spot for the doubles. I know I'll be playing at the Australian Open, and the singles will be a bonus. That's helping lower the pressure.
Bai has trained and played doubles with Tjandramulia, but has never played against her in a singles battle.
If she wins the round-one contest, she will advance to play against either No. 1 seed Arina Rodionova or Sara Tomic for a spot in the final of the knockout event.
Bai beat Rodionova at the Canberra International earlier this year, giving the Canberra junior confidence she can challenge the best in the field.
Bai has already started locking in her summer schedule and is hoping to finalise her Australian Open preparation in the coming weeks.
She will work with Hives to fine tune their doubles effort, but a singles wildcard would dramatically change her mindset.
Bai, the world No. 485, is still weighing up her long-term future in the sport, but has committed to the Australian summer and will reassess in March or April.
"It crosses everyone's mind about whether to keep going or what the next chapter in my life," Bai said.
"It's crossed my mind a few times this year, no doubt. But I think it has helped my mentality by lifting the pressure and having no expectations.
"I've been doing this for so long that over the years I've learnt to enjoy it more and just play.
"I just need to back myself and know that I'm playing well. I just need to remind myself to do the things I do well and know that anything can happen from there."
TENNIS AUSTRALIA WILDCARD PLAY-OFF
Tuesday: Alison Bai v Olivia Tjandramulia at Melbourne Park. Click or touch here for live scores. There will be live streaming from 10am at www.tennis.com.au.
