Melbourne VIC, Australia, 14 March 2015 | Matt Trollope

Sam Stosur begins a seven-consecutive-week stint of tennis beginning at the weekend with her second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Stosur, who as the No.21 seed receives a first-round bye, will take on talented teen Taylor Townsend in her opening match, a left-handed American with an all-court game.

The Queenslander is not one to set goals regarding the round or stage of the tournament she would like to reach; instead, she is concentrating her efforts purely on getting over the first hurdle by executing the aggressive game style that has delivered her sustained success over the years.

“(The American hardcourt events in March are) really strong tournaments obviously. I feel like then Indian Wells and Miami courts can really suit my game and I really enjoy playing at both of them, especially Indian Wells,” she said shortly before leaving for California.

“When I get over there I’ll have four or five days to practice and really get into the conditions … then you just really feel like you can get your teeth into it and I think that obviously the first round is the most important thing, and I feel like if I can get through that then you kind of build on some of that confidence.”

Confidence is something that has been slightly lacking for Stosur in 2015.

Of the 10 matches she’s contested, she has won just three, although several of those losses have come in tight three-setters in which just a handful of points have made the difference.

There was her loss to Wozniacki in Dubai, a match that ended 7-5 in the third set in favour of the Dane. An epic match against Andrea Petkovic in the Australia v Germany Fed Cup tie, in which Stosur let slip a match point before going down 12-10 in the third. And most recently, a tight two-set loss to Czech nemesis Lucie Safarova – the eventual champion – in the first round in Doha.

Stosur said the way to change her losing record this season and come out on top of those tight matches was to not let indecision enter her game.

“Against Caro there were a couple of tactical choices on serve that I didn’t do well, I didn’t quite go after a couple of forehands a couple of times and then that was kind of the difference. Against Lucie maybe it was the same thing; I missed a few early returns on second serves and didn’t get her really feeling under the pump on her serve and then she was able to serve actually really well and mix it up so I think in those couple of little moments in matches where you can take advantage, I’ve got to do that and back my strengths and go after it,” she assessed.

“I feel like in the Middle East I’d really started to hit the ball well and was pretty happy with how I was playing … it’s still hard to take because you’re not getting the wins that you want but I guess if you could take anything you’d be happier losing these close matches and knowing that you feel close rather than not being close at all.

“I think it’s one of those things that you have to try and stay positive and know that I’m doing 90 to 95 per cent of things well when I’m playing, and it’s literally a matter of a couple of points here and there and that can make the difference. So you turn that around and you don’t know where it can take you.

“Even that match I lost to Petko at Fed Cup; I had a match point, that is literally one point the difference. And she hadn’t won a match all year, she beats me, wins her next one and then goes off and wins Antwerp (the next week), so things can change quickly, and I think you have to remember that.

“You’ve got to try and not play with any doubt, you don’t want to hold back – you just have to keep going and keep pushing forward with the things that you know are going to win you matches. Which is harder to do when you’re not winning so many matches, but you still have to do it.”

Stosur has ensured she’s fresh entering this intensive swing on the tennis calendar.

After returning home from Qatar, she enjoyed the chance to go scuba diving and snorkelling and have some time at the beach. Apart from a couple of days in Melbourne practising with coach Simon Rea and strength and conditioning trainer Narelle Sibte, she made the most of her time in Sydney.

“This trip for me is always a long one. I don’t come home until at least after Wimbledon now. So you’ve still got everything you need to do, but I still enjoy home while I can,” she said.

With her recovery from plantar fasciitis still progressing well – she says she has not felt restricted in her movement since her cautious return to the courts in December – she will kick-start her Indian Wells campaign feeling fresh and with motivation high.

“I think it’s just important for me to keep playing the way I want to be playing, and if I can play good tennis and close to my best tennis then I do feel like I can have good days and almost beat anyone in the world,” she said.

“So that’s the goal.”