Elena Baltacha insisted she had no plans to quit tennis after making a swift exit at Wimbledon.
The former British number one missed eight months between the London 2012 Olympics - where she lost in the second round to former world number one Ana Ivanovic - and April with a foot injury.
She relied on a wildcard to make the All England Club but was beaten 6-4, 6-1 in the first round by former top ten player Flavia Pennetta, who is also coming back from a long-term injury.
Last year Baltacha hinted the Olympics could be her last event after a career that has too often been plagued by injuries.
But she insists the motivation of challenging rising British stars Laura Robson and Heather Watson, who are both in action on Tuesday, is still keeping her motivated.
"I actually retired after the Olympics and then, when I made the decision to continue, I decided it wasn't worth going through the pain of rehab after surgery unless I was going to give it a good shot," said Baltacha, who cracked the world's top 50 three summers ago.
"I'm nearly 30, so I've got a good few years left if I look after myself and stay away from injuries.
"I need to get my ranking back up, so I can get into the bigger events. It's probably too late for the US Open but my goal is to qualify automatically for the main draw at the Australian Open next year.
"I also want my British number one spot back and with Laura and Heather coming through, that's a great challenge to motivate me.
"With all the work that I'm putting in I honestly do believe I could be a contender to get back there.
"I'm disappointed to go out and I had patches where I played well but I was not consistent enough. My serve let me down and that is where I probably fell short."
© Sportsbeat 2013