Andrea Petkovic still dancing on

It has been a difficult year for Andrea Petkovic.

Entering the China Open this week, the former world No.9 had recorded only 10 WTA main draw wins for the season and her ranking had slipped to No.107.

Petkovic’s own assessment of her season: “Not very great.

“It’s one of these albums from a band that nobody remembers, but it is really important for the band to get further. I feel like that’s my year, I’m that album.”

Yet the reality is the affable 30-year-old, adored for her signature post-victory ‘Petko dance’, is far from forgettable.

That’s certainly been the case in Beijing, where the 2011 finalist is getting plenty of fan support.

“I’ve had my little fan club following me around which is nice, they’ve always supported me here and obviously remember me well from the year I played finals,” Petkovic said.

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Her record in Beijing includes victories over Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marion Bartoli and Sam Stosur.

So how did Petkovic cope with having to contest qualifying this year?

“You obviously ask yourself ‘what did I do wrong to get here?’ I’ve been seeded here many times, had byes and I’ve always played well here,” Petkovic said of the experience. “But then on the other hand, it’s nice coming here knowing I do play well here.

“Now that the women’s game has become so strong and so deep, it’s not that bad to have two matches while the others are practicing. You get time on the court, so if you get to the main draw you’re usually feeling the ball well. Sometimes it’s not that much of a disadvantage to qualify.”

The German has proved this, earning a seventh main draw appearance with straight-sets wins against world No.58 Beatriz Haddad Maia and No.93-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo in qualifying.

Her growing momentum showed in a swift 6-4 6-0 dismissal of world No.30 Kiki Bertens in the first round.

“(Coming through qualifying) did help me,” Petkovic said. “I got off to a good start because I was relaxed, where she (Bertens) seemed to need a few more games to get into it. Plus the difficult conditions here do take some getting used too, so I think it gave me a step ahead.”

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If Petkovic needed a reminder that lows can quickly be followed by highs, this has been it.

“It has been a difficult season for me because I’ve put everything into it emotionally, and I was not rewarded. But now everything makes up for it that I’m playing well here,” she said.

It almost did not happen, as Petkovic briefly questioned skipping the tournament.

“I qualified in Wuhan last week, then I played not a great first-round match so I was really upset and my knees were hurting so I didn’t even know if I should play here or not,” she admitted. “But here I am, I’ve won three matches and everything is good again.”

It is such resilience that has defined Petkovic’s career. There have been injuries and form slumps before, yet each time she’s found a way to bounce back.

“I’m kind of like a rollercoaster, always have been,” she said. “There is no steady, nice water with me. There are always waves – but I enjoy that more than boring steady water.”

Album, rollercoaster, water. Whatever the analogy you want to use, Petkovic is a shining example of perseverance.

Her next challenge is a second round China Open showdown with world No.4 Karolina Pliskova, a player who is, contrastingly, enjoying a career-best season.

Petkovic last beat a top 10-ranked opponent in February 2016, but with rising confidence there is a hint her forgettable season could yet end with some memorable moments.

“Things are falling into place for me,” she warned with a smile.