Laura Robson relives Las Vegas mass shooting and targets return to top 100 after struggles
Robson: "It was a crazy, crazy thing to happen and I got really, really lucky."
Wednesday 17 January 2018 10:32, UK
Laura Robson has opened up about being caught up in October's mass shooting in Las Vegas, admitting she was "really, really lucky" to escape unharmed.
The 23-year-old was attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival with friends when lone gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire from a nearby hotel, killing 58 people and injuring more than 500.
Robson is well aware events could have turned out differently and spoke about the psychological toll the ordeal had in the immediate aftermath on her return back home.
"It was a crazy, crazy thing to happen and I got really, really lucky," Robson said. "My friends got really, really lucky. I don't really like to think about it.
"We were really, really lucky in that we were off to the side so you hear everything and stuff like that but we were on the way out anyway. So many people weren't lucky."
"I got a big hug from my mum when she picked me from the airport the next day.," Robson added. "I was meant to go home for a while anyway, which was probably really a good thing because I just spent five days in the house without really leaving.
"When I got home, my dogs could sense that I was a bit off - so they just sat on me for five days. After that, you have to get back to real life and back on the court. I'm definitely a bit more thankful."
Robson, whose professional career began with huge promise, is now two years back into her return from wrist surgery but was unable to secure a spot in Australian Open qualifying for the singles with her world No 227 ranking.
The former top-30 player as a teenager suffered a straight sets defeat with partner CoCo Vandeweghe in their first-round doubles match against 14th seeds Hao-Ching Chan and Katarina Srebotnik on Wednesday.
However, Robson is optimistic for the future after linking up with former coach Martijn Bok, who guided her to Wimbledon junior success in 2008.
"I actually feel good," she said. "I feel very happy on court for the first time in a long time. I'm happy to be back with Martijn. We're putting in some good work on the practice court. I feel very happy and super motivated.
"I felt like I was stuck in this spot where I wasn't getting any better. I couldn't pinpoint what I was doing wrong and why I felt so bad on court, why I was so unhappy in practice and in matches. It was getting a bit overwhelming.
"My goal for the end of the year is to be back in the top 100 but really, for me, I want to feel the best possible version of myself again on court. That's something that's just not been there the last few years."
