Fed Cup 2016: Gavrilova's wild ride to an Australian Fed Cup debut

The Australian Open was still in session when its break-out local star, Daria Gavrilova, briefly resumed what she calls her "normal life".

Cup rookie: Daria Gavrilova in action during an Australian Fed Cup practice session this week. Photo: Getty Images

The Australian Open was still in session when its break-out local star, Daria Gavrilova, briefly resumed what she calls her "normal life". Still without a driver's licence, she went back to catching trams around her adopted home town, and occasionally collected her housemate's son from primary school, where her newly-recognisable presence did not go unnoticed.

"They kind of just said: 'Well done on Oz Open' and I think they all enjoyed watching me," said Gavrilova, who became the tournament's darling en route to an turbulent fourth-round loss on Rod Laver Arena. "I got a few compliments, 'we're so happy that you're here and representing Australia', so it was really nice."

Yet what came next was not all about adoring crowds requesting hugs and selfies, prime-time stadium courts and beaming post-match interviews, as Gavrilova discovered soon enough. Jumping off the tram and back onto the WTA circuit for back-to-back tournaments in Dubai and Doha, the world No.33 won just one match between heavy losses to Ana Ivanovic and then Caroline Wozniacki.

Just as she was emotionally fried during her Melbourne Park meltdown when a debut grand slam quarter-final beckoned after a 6-0 first set against 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, Gavrilova admits she struggled initially to adjust to life-after-January, when a glorious Hopman Cup partnership with Nick Kyrgios was the attention-grabbing entree.

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"I think in the Middle East I was kind of feeling 'oh, it's completely different', and maybe I wasn't too ready to play there," says Dasha, as she is known. "I was still a bit exhausted, and I think I was still back in Australia, to be honest. I was in the Middle East, but my head was back in Melbourne.

"But I learnt from that, I guess. Everything is still new for me. Last year I almost lost first round at every grand slam and I would say that's because I was unexperienced (sic) and I treated grand slams differently, I was freaking out thinking, 'oh they're the biggest tournaments of your life, you'd better do well'. So right now for the next few years I think I will still learn a lot - a lot about myself, and about players and, I guess, the tour."

The 22-year-old has sensed increased respect from her peers, but also their greater eagerness to beat her, and more knowledge of her game. Which is fine. Motivating.Just another challenge. But particular lessons, however painful, were taken from the Suarez Navarro implosion, which followed such controlled earlier-round performances from a feisty, demonstrative player whose emotional equilibrium has never been her greatest strength.

"I think I was just really mentally exhausted and couldn't help myself out there, and I think next time if I'm feeling like that and getting frustrated with myself I hope I have some tricks to do!" Gavrilova said laughing. "The main thing is I will tell myself to stop and be in the moment, so hopefully I can do that."

Having split with travelling co-coach Craig Tyzzer in favour of as much time as possible with long-time mentor Nicole Pratt, the now 39th-ranked Gavrilova took more positives away from the recent US hardcourt swing, as well as last week's Charleston tournament on green clay, in which she fell to eventual champion Sloane Stephens in the third round.

While other recent losses have been to lesser lights such as Magdalena Rybarikova, Zarina Diyas and Alison Riske, the 166-centimetre Gavrilova says numbers can be misleading. "It's not easy and especially for me I can't just hit winners all the time, so I spend as much energy beating a top 10 player or a player who is ranked 300. Also right now, in tennis the gap is not huge, it's very competitive, so what you see on the paper is not usually what you get."

More happily, it was also in Miami where, after a practice session with Pratt, she learnt via the International Tennis Federation website of her successful appeal to be permitted to represent Australia in the Fed Cup, starting with this weekend's world group play-off tie against the US in Brisbane.

The ITF board exempted Russian-born Gavrilova from a rule change requiring players to have been local citizens for two years in order to play in Fed Cup or Olympic competition, on the basis that her application - approved last December - was already in train, and that, unlike Ajla Tomljanovic, for example, she had not previously played for her birth country.

"I think we had a pretty strong case. I've been living in Australia for two years now and before that, when I turned 18, I made a decision to come to Australia," she says. "I was super-excited when I heard the news. It was the last news, but the good news.

"Then Alicia [Molik] gave me a call about three weeks ago and asked me if I was available for the Fed Cup, so that's how it all happened and now I'm here getting ready with the girls and we're all feeling pretty good, loving the clay and can't wait for the weekend."

Australia's 50th Fed Cup player delivered the traditional "rookie speech" at Thursday's team dinner - joking about Molik's casual invitation for a weekend away in Brisbane, giving heartfelt thanks to Pratt and conditioning guru Stefano Barsacchi, and declaring her decision to emigrate was the best she has made - before Friday's draw pitted her first-up against US No.1 Madison Keys on Pat Rafter Arena.

A semi-finalist in Rome last year, Gavrilova regards clay as her best surface but has not played against Keys, a 2015 Australian Open semi-finalist, since an Orange Bowl loss in their early teenage days. Australian No.1 Sam Stosur will follow against world No.57 Christina McHale, with the reverse singles and doubles scheduled for Sunday.

Gavrilova expects to be nervous before her maiden appearance, but is sure to be proud, and will certainly be vocal, having learnt the national anthem when she decided to make Australia home. So to the next chapter in the engaging story of a player who was barely known here a year ago, but whose wild ride through January and beyond was not confined to the No.12 tram.

FED CUP WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFF

Australia v US, Brisbane, April 16-17

Surface: outdoor red clay

Playing for: a place in the eight-team world group for 2017

Head-to-head: Australia 5, US 8

Last played: 1985. US 2 d Australia 1 in world group semi-final in Japan

Saturday, 11am: Daria Gavrilova (AUS, singles ranking No.39) v Madison Keys (US, #25)

followed by

Samantha Stosur (AUS, #26) v Christina McHale (US, #57)

Sunday, 11am: Stosur v Keys

followed by

Gavrilova v McHale

followed by

Stosur/Casey Dellacqua v Bethanie Mattek-Sands/CoCo Vandeweghe

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