Erakovic admitted at the US Open this year that "in the last three or four years, I [haven't] been as well in the mental game". It was a revealing quote but also left a number of questions.
"It's a learning curve," Erakovic says. "The mental side of things is such a huge factor in tennis. I don't think I was working hard enough on it -- getting the head in the right space, getting the focus right. It's about being strong in your mind and doing all you can to keep focused. That is probably something I have lacked a little bit."
Tennis can be a cruel sport, arguably the toughest mentally in the world. There are so many intangibles and the scoring system means nothing is certain until the final point. A case can be made for golf but in tennis, there's no one to help, no one to consult just before you hit a crucial serve or face down a break point.
A few familiar faces are always in the crowd at the ASB Classic in Auckland but that adds pressure and she admitted after being bundled out 6-1 6-3 by Lauren Davis in the first round this year she struggled to cope with those expectations. They will be there again after she just made the cut for the main draw which starts on January 5.
"I've been working a lot on the mental side of things," Erakovic says. "It's all about understanding how much control of the situation I have and not just saying, 'oh well, it was just a tough day and it was difficult'. There are always factors that come into play.
"You can say, 'I hurt my foot, it was raining, I was stressed out' but you have to deal with those things. It's not like I didn't do any work before but it was probably relying on [former coach] Chris [Zahalka] too much to have all the solutions."
A period of introspection in the middle of this year prompted her to cut ties with Zahalka, the Austrian who had guided her since 2011.
"I wanted to take more control of my game," Erakovic says. "I felt I wasn't in the driver's seat a lot of the time. It was, 'Marina, you gotta do this and this and this'. That works sometimes -- especially the first couple of years -- but after a certain time, it didn't feel right.
"When I [got] into a bad situation in a match, I [was] trying to do those things he told me but I wasn't really thinking myself. In tennis, it's just you. You're on an island and have to figure it out. That was one of the things that slapped me in the face a little bit and made me realise you have to do this on your own."
Erakovic wants to emphasise there were plenty of "good spots" over the last few years. Under Zahalka, she broke into the top 40 for the first time, reached her first WTA singles final (Quebec in 2011) and lifted that trophy in Memphis. She also reached the second round or better at grand slams on seven occasions. Now, with the help of new coach, Spaniard Eduardo Nicolas, she wants to take responsibility for making the next step.
Erakovic recently returned to Europe to complete her off-season build-up in Barcelona with Nicolas. Before leaving, she spent almost three weeks on a conditioning programme at the Millennium Institute on Auckland's North Shore.
Last year, Erakovic wasn't accredited as a carded athlete but High Performance Sport New Zealand reversed their decision.
"It's been really good -- exactly what I needed," she says. "They have some amazing facilities and it has been great to mix with the other athletes and see what they do. Last year, I was training by myself in a St Heliers gym so it's quite different."
It allows Erakovic to spend more time at home and next year she hopes to extend that block to more than a month, something that will also be welcome news for the facility.
"Having Marina here was great for the other athletes," says trainer Sam Purvan. "It was a bit of an eye-opener for them. They don't see a lot of her -- she is always overseas -- but she is so professional and driven in her attitude to training."
Her work with Nicolas will be focused on extending the breadth of her game -- crucial as she strives to return to the top 50 next year.
"I need more variation," Erakovic says. "There was always a plan which was fine but I don't think sometimes I got to that place where I could think outside of that. It was always, 'this was the one way to do it, this is how you play your game'.
"I have some tools that are pretty good, not just setting up for the big forehands. It's about starting to do it in the practice matches, knowing I have these tools and then applying them on the court."
Marina Erakovic's year-end ranking
2014: 77
2013: 48
2012: 67
2011: 61
2010: 324
2009: 232
2008: 60
2007: 161
2006: 160
2005: 213
Erakovic's highest career ranking was No 39 in May 2012.
