It is a game-loving Rebecca Peterson who landed in Palermo, Italy before the first WTA tournament since March.

During the pandemic, the 24-year-old Swede was able to rehabilitate a troublesome disc in her back that kept her away from the tennis court for periods. The corona stay has therefore provided much-needed time for recovery.

- It has been very important to me. Now I have time to recover and make myself more or less injury free. It feels very good, she tells TT.

Peterson, ranked 44 in the world, played a Swedish tournament in Falkenberg a few weeks ago which she won. Starting to play matches again has not been easy.

- The difficult thing is that training is never like a match and it takes time for the body to get used to it. There is a little more tension and strain on the body, but I am very happy that I got a few matches in Sweden and it felt good.

The trip to Palermo is the first that Peterson and her coach and father Mart have made since the corona pandemic put an end to all play. The tournament starts on Monday, which takes place between 3 and 9 August. The starting field includes the top 20 players Petra Martic, Croatia, and Marketa Vondrousova, Czech Republic.

- It feels very nice to be able to start again and compete. There are many who are addicted to games now because we have not competed in a very long time. It is a very tough starting field, but it is fun that as many as possible are involved and want to play. I'm just looking forward to it, but it would be silly to set super high expectations of oneself. It is important to prepare and play as well as possible, says Peterson.

As soon as the players arrive at the tennis club in the Sicilian capital, they are met by staff in full protective equipment who test all active and functionaries for corona. The so-called PCR tests - which are used to examine whether an individual has an ongoing infection with covid-19 - are performed repeatedly every four days.

- You test yourself when you come here and then you get to see if you are positive or negative. When you are negative, you are allowed to train and play, but as soon as it turns out that you have contracted the virus, you are not allowed to play. They have really made sure we feel as safe as possible.

TT: Do you feel any anxiety about going out and traveling the world again?

- I feel a little both. There are still very many on the tour who are at risk, maybe not so many players, but the people who are in a team may be at risk. Then it is also a bit difficult because if you get sick you have to be quarantined. It is still positive that the tour has managed to get started and that we can feel as safe as possible.

After the tournament in Palermo, two competitions await in the USA in the form of Cincinnati and the US Open.

Despite the fact that several players on the tour have decided to stand over the competitions in the USA, Peterson is one of those who still intends to cross the Atlantic.

- You'll see how it will develop, but as it looks now I will go there.

TT: Do you hear how the talk goes among your competitors and colleagues?

- I think that very many in your team are in the risk zone. Many players do not want to expose their team, it is not worth the risk. But then it's up to everyone how you feel. But in that case I will go there with my father.

ARCHIVE: Rebecca Peterson on canceled Wimbledon: "Very sad" (April 1, 2020)

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