ARNOLD'S Jocelyn Rae is looking to the future with confidence after her Wimbledon campaign was brought to a conclusion.
Rae and doubles partner Colin Fleming lost their second round mixed doubles match in straight sets in just under an hour.
However, the unseeded wildcards were always going to struggle against number seven seeds Rohan Bopanna and Andrea Hlavackova.
And while the match was close, it turned on some key moments, the Commonwealth champions – who decisively struggled with their serve – going down 6-4, 7-5.
"Both of those guys were experienced doubles players and it was always going to be tough against seeds but we were competitive and right in the match," said Rae.
"A few things didn't go our way and we had some chances that we didn't take. When we made mistakes they exploited them and that was the difference."
However, Rae insists her Wimbledon campaign has given her self-belief to look ahead with optimism after recovering from a career threatening foot injury.
Her goal is now edging up the women's doubles rankings alongside partner Anna Smith.
Together the pairing have won nine ITF tournaments since last November, including the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham last month.
But they are still ranked 138th in the world and must crack the world's top 50 to automatically qualify for the major tournaments, rather than rely on wildcard invites.
"My injury made me reassess and focus on doubles and I'm really excited about the future," she said.
"Anna and I have a great relationship and it helps we are good friends. I think I can make a good living from doubles but we really need to improve our ranking.
"That won't be easy, you've got to play lots of tournaments and be really consistent and you need to be challenging yourself against the best players. Our goal is to make the top 100 and then focus on cracking the top 50."
Rae and Smith also want to establish themselves in Judy Murray's British Fed Cup team but must again improve their ranking to earn a shot because, unlike the men's Davis Cup, Murray can only select them as a pair if they crack the world's top 30.
The 23-year old made her debut in the event this year after Laura Robson's injury and is targeting a quick return.
"I made my Fed Cup debut this year and I partnered Heather Watson but we lost both matches," she added.
"The goal is for me and Anna to play together but we have to improve our ranking to do that. We've got these targets now and it's exciting."
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