Russian-born Australian tennis player Anastasia Rodionova could hardly be more excited about her future and with good reason.
Not only has she just come off her equal career best performance in a Grand Slam tournament after making the third round at the US Open but an upcoming change of law could finally allow her to become an Australian citizen.
The 27-year-old, who moved to Australia in 2005, has held a permanent residency visa since August 2007 which has allowed her to compete for her adopted country in Grand Slam tournaments but under International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules she must represent Russia at all other tournaments until she is granted Australian citizenship.
That means that at present the talented Rodionova is also ineligible to represent Australia at both the Olympic Games and in the Fed Cup.
Rodionova has been unable to qualify for Australian citizenship under a law introduced by the previous Liberal Federal Government, which stated that citizen applicants must not leave Australia for more than three months per year for four years - a practical impossibility for tennis players competing on the world tour.
But Rodionova is excited by a planned amendment being proposed by current Minister for Immigration and Citizenship - Labor Senator Chris Evans - that will quash that previous ruling and allow her to finally apply for citizenship.
"It's moving in the right direction finally," Rodionova said on Thursday, back in Melbourne after returning from New York.
"I have been waiting for a really long time and hopefully the law will be introduced and I will be able to apply for citizenship and represent Australia at all the tournaments and not just the Grand Slams."
"I would love to play Fed Cup and the Olympics - that is my dream to play for Australia at the Olympic Games."
Rodionova, speaking at the Kew headquarters of Guide Dogs Victoria where she is an official ambassador, is also looking to build on her success at this year's US Open - where she equalled her previous best performance in a Grand Slam by making the round of 32 as she also did at Flushing Meadows in 2006.
And that came after having to win three qualifying matches just to reach the main draw after her ranking plummeted last year when she underwent hip surgery in September.
Rodionova says her performance has given her confidence that she can go further in Grand Slam tournaments particularly after her third-round conqueror in Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko went on to reach the quarter-finals.
"I was really glad for her (Bondarenko) that she got to the quarter-final but kind of upset realising that I could have been there," Rodionova said.
"But I feel like I am back, I feel like I am playing good tennis again."
"The surgery took me out of the tour for some time and I was playing qualifying for a lot of tournaments and that is not the life I want to lead on tour because I want to be one of the best players and I feel like I am getting back there."
But with no points to defend for the rest of the season, Rodionova is assured of finishing the season ranked in the top 100 - as she was in 2006 and 2007 - meaning she will be guaranteed a place in January's Australian Open, a tournament she is already looking forward to.
"I hope I can do well at the Australian Open because it's one of my favourite tournaments," she said.