Samantha Stosur believes her best chance at breaking out of her Australian Open rut is by putting herself "in the firing line" straight up in 2015.
Forgoing the chance to represent her nation at the Hopman Cup, the Queenslander has instead chosen to play her home tournament at the Brisbane International.
But neither home town support nor sentiment is the reason, rather the cut-throat nature of one of the most difficult non-grand slam tournaments on the WTA tour has attracted her to Pat Rafter Arena.
And the fact Stosur will end the year outside the world's top-20 for the first time since 2008 means she is at the mercy of a draw that contains former world No.1s Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Jankovic.
"This is one of the toughest tournaments of the year almost so unseeded at (22) in the world is pretty rough," she said.
"But that's the way it goes and that's fine, I'll certainly be ready to play my first match no matter who it's against."
Preparing in oppressively hot conditions with new coach Simon Rae on Wednesday afternoon, Stosur dismissed any concerns about the foot injury that saw her end 2014 early.
The 2011 US Open champion has enjoyed one of her best pre-seasons in recent times, improving her speed and fitness, and working on a number of technical aspects of her game.
She felt the pressure-cooker of Brisbane would ultimately benefit her more than repeating last season's preparations in Perth.
"Last year I went to Hopman and I played three matches and that was probably a good thing but I wanted to come back to Brisbane and really put myself in that firing line again of that knockout situation," she said.
"I don't think there's any right or wrong schedule, they're both great events.
"There's still pressure (at the Hopman Cup) but it is different."
All too often Stosur has carried Australia's hopes and expectations at Melbourne Park but has failed to deliver.
The best she's achieved was fourth-round finishes in 2006 and 2010, when she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams.
Despite turning 30 this year, Stosur still believes better results are ahead and she's certainly not panicking about the number of Australian summers left in her career.
A big part of her technical focus in the pre-season has gone into her serve and she's pledging precision and smarts over pace.
"I don't have the biggest serve in terms of speed but it is certainly a weapon of mine," Stosur said.
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