Nicole Gibbs, a professional American tennis player currently ranked No. 109 on the WTA Tour, is 66 points away from being back in the top 100. On November 29, 2015, in the Carlsbad Classic singles final, Nicole took on top seed Yanina Wickmayer. She eventually yielded to Wickmayer, 6-3 7-6(4) but is looking forward to the start of next season after a strong finish to a disappointing campaign in 2015.

Nicole spoke with me about her path for 2016 and what’s at the heart of her game.

Q: Adversity and losses provide the biggest opportunity for growth. 2015 has not been an easy year. With this context what have you learned about your game and yourself?

A: I think I've learned that I belong in the top 100 this year. That may sound weird since I actually ended the year at a ranking of 109, but I feel my past year was one of constant challenge and adversity, and I still nearly salvaged it with a top-100 finish. Knowing what I know now and having been exposed to the adversity that I've been exposed to, I think the sky is the limit for me moving forward.  

Q: How will you use those lessons for 2016 preparation?

A: I will do my best to prepare a smarter schedule for 2016. I hope to integrate more rest and preparation time into my schedule, especially leading into bigger events like slams. I also want to play a few challengers early in the season to try to get my match count up early. So much of life on tour is staying healthy and finding a level that challenges you but can also build your confidence.  

Q: You mentioned in your post-season Facebook post that you considered quitting a few times. How did you overcome those moments?

A: It's really hard to always be positive! When I first turned pro, I wasn't accustomed to losing weekly, so often times after a hard loss I would be “feeling it” for a day or two after. As you gain experience, you realize that there will always be a next week, and that rebound time after a loss becomes shorter and shorter. I definitely still have those “maybe I'm just not good enough” moments, but they are becoming fewer and farther between. I really want to commit myself to positivity and 100 percent self-belief in 2016.  

Q: Which matches stand out as the most difficult but also the most rewarding this year? Win or lose. Tell us about those experiences.

A: My favorite win this year was against Anna Tatishvili in the qualifying round of the Stanford WTA. I was down 6-2 2-0 and I was playing poorly, as I had for most of the year up to that point.

After going down that break in the second, something inside me changed. I told myself that if I was going to lose I was going to do it in a way I could be proud of, playing aggressively, taking risks, and showing heart. I went on to win that match 7-5 in the third, and from there I made the second round of the main draw, beating 35th-ranked Caroline Garcia in the first round. 

My favorite loss was against Amra Sadikovic in the first round of a 75k in Albuquerque in late September. It was a pretty poor match from me in terms of mental toughness, and my execution wasn't what I wanted it to be. What made the loss special, though, was a conversation I had with my coach after the match. I told him I felt like I was too stressed on court and playing too poorly to make it through the fall and offered that maybe I should hang the racquets up for the year. He very kindly asked me “what's in your heart?” and after time to think, I came back with “I can't give up. I have to give the rest of this season my best.”

From there, I went 18-6 on the rest of the season and made two finals. 

Q: What advice would you give younger players considering tennis as a career?

A: My advice would be to surround yourself with a team that will help you to focus on the process of improving your tennis rather than the results. It isn't sustainable in such an up and down profession to ride the highs and the lows. Pick something to improve, and if you've improved it you've succeeded, win or lose. 

Q: What surprised you the first year on the WTA tour?

A: My first year on tour, the travel was a real shock! Adjusting to not having much of a home base was difficult for me. I actually quite enjoy the travel now, but at first I often felt lonely or isolated on the road. 

Q: What is your best 2015 tour moment?

A: My best 2015 moment was reaching the finals of the Carlsbad Classic. With a $125k purse, the Classic is considered a WTA level event, and it was my first final of that caliber. To have a career-best moment to end such a challenging year was really inspiring and left me very excited for the year ahead.  

Q: What did you gain from your experience at Stanford?

A: Going to college at age 17, I still had a huge amount of growing up to do, and Stanford provided a safe and motivating place to mature and round myself as a person. I was challenged in so many ways–from tennis to academics to my political views–and I came through that experience feeling enlightened and humbled.

Q: What do you miss about college?

A: I literally miss every element of the experience from fun weekends out with friends to NCAA title efforts with the team to 2am study groups for a final I'm under-prepared for. Since I have a year left to finish my degree, I guess I may get the chance to experience at least some of it again.

Q: How does playing tennis help you in life?

A: Tennis teaches you the invaluable lesson that not everything in life is in your control. So often you lose a match that you did absolutely everything you could to prepare for. You're forced to learn to get up, dust yourself off, and keep pursuing your goals the very next day.  

Q: When you have days where you don’t feel like training, how do you get through it? 

A: I think there's a key difference between not wanting to train and simply feeling tired or worn out. Feeling tired is normal, and what gets you out of bed is the knowledge that you are making yourself better and tougher to beat come match week. Not wanting to train would be more tough to overcome and isn't something I deal with often.  

Q: Tell us about a typical day of training?

A: A typical “heavy” day of training consists of two two-hour sessions on court, often drilling and working on details during one session and playing points in the other. In addition, I will usually spend about an hour in the gym lifting, working on speed, or doing cardio, and always end with core and shoulder prehab exercises. 

Q: Do you follow a disciplined nutritional regimen? 

A: I try to make good decisions about what I'm putting into my body, and lately I've been observing an 80/20 rule–being disciplined with 80 percent of my intake and allowing myself to indulge for the remaining 20 percent.

Q: What are your favorite non-training foods?

A: I'm not sure what my favorite cheat food would be, but right now I’m really craving a donut.

Q: Tell us about your coach Roger and why he is an effective member of your team?

A: Roger was a game changer for me this year. His energy, knowledge of the game, and positivity helped me turn a pretty scary season into one with a lot of results to build on for next year.  His attitude balances mine really effectively on the court. I'm a perfectionist with a tendency toward negative self-talk, while he is unfailingly positive and improvement- (rather than results-) oriented. 

He also has made it very clear that he believes in my ability to be a great tennis player, and that has helped me to believe in myself more. 

Q: Who else helped you this year that you would like to acknowledge?

A: Another key player in my 2015 season was Rodney Marshall, a strength and conditioning coach at the USTA.  I've known and worked with Rodney since 2009 and during that time, I have become a much more well-rounded athlete.  He has helped me transition from a largely defensive collegiate player to a more explosive and offensive professional.

As with every other year, my Dad was also a huge influence.  He was the person who started me in tennis, and he has seen it through, now traveling with me near full time on tour.  Without his help and companionship, the low points this year would have been extremely difficult for me to endure.

Q: What do you like about your game?

A: I see the court very well.  My defense has always been my strength, and I anticipate that it always will be. 

Q: You mentioned changing your strategy to be more aggressive in closing service games. How will you work on that?

A: I am working to hone a more offensive mindset that will allow me to take time away from my opponents and keep them more off balance.  Ideally, I would like to see my serve improve as well so that I can build an offensive game plan around a stronger serve.  Most of my practices involve a strong focus on recovering close to the baseline in order to keep me disciplined to a more aggressive method of play. 

Q: What do you do to blow off steam when not playing tennis?

A: I love to surf and spend time with my friends in LA!  I make sure to give myself at least one night per month to go out with friends and act like a normal 22-year-old, but for the most part hanging with friends means staying in and watching a movie or playing cards.

Q: Where are your favorite surfing spots?

A: My favorite surfing spots in So Cal are Old Man's in San Clemente and the Venice Jetty, but I enjoy surfing at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz and Pan Dulce in Costa Rica as well. 

Q: What makes you laugh?

A: I don't know if they make me laugh per se, but I am thoroughly obsessed with Bulldog puppies, and I follow like 10 different instagram accounts that feature them.

Follow Nicole Gibbs on Twitter @Gibbsyyyy