"If you're happier off the court, you're happier on the court" - Harriet Dart on her rise this year

The 25-year-old broke into the top 100 for the first time earlier this year and has been in impressive form on the grass, reaching the quarter-finals in Nottingham last week.

Dart, currently ranked 106, showed her confidence on grass with an emphatic 6-2 6-0 victory over world number 61 Camila Osorio, breaking the demoralised Colombian’s serve six times. Those strong results have helped her believe she belongs at the top level, but changes in her life away from the court have been just as important.

She said:

“I went through a really bad personal time that was not a fun time in my life last year and I really had to work on a lot of thing. I’m a lot happier now, I have a nice boyfriend now, which is nice. I went through a bad relationship, it was very toxic, and I do believe, if you’re happier off the court, you’re happier on the court. It’s like any job, if you bring things from home into the workplace, it’s very challenging."

She further added:

“I definitely feel like I belong a lot more. In previous years I’ve had some good results, but I’ve lost some pretty close matches. To be able to come through a close match last week against a good player like Camila Giorgi, especially when she’s had some good results on grass. It’s not just about doing well here, it’s about doing well the whole year. I feel like I’ve made steps in that way.”