Two questions revolve around tennis pro Jamie Hampton.

Is the Auburn native about to resume her injury-interrupted career? Is the 25-year-old ready to hang up her racquet and leave the court behind?

Two questions. One answer.

Not yet.

Jamie Hampton, shown here in the 2011 U.S. Open, is trying to return to professional tennis competition. (Robbie Mendelson/Wikimedia Commons)

“I am not ready to play yet,” she said in a phone interview. “I entered the tournament (last week’s Carlsbad Classic in California) thinking that hopefully I would be ready at that time but I wasn’t.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries the past couple of years and had a total of seven surgeries. I’ve been struggling a little bit with my physical health but my plans are still to come back. I’ve been doing physical therapy daily trying to get back. That’s kind of where I stand right now.”

Hampton’s right hip and Achilles tendon have been her worst problems. Her left Achilles and left hip have also betrayed her.

The 25-year-old turned pro in September 2009 and was prominently mentioned as a possible successor to Venus and Serena Williams. Her career took off three years later as she reached the second round of Wimbledon.

She began the 2013 Australian Open with an upset of 31st seed Urszula Radwanska. The Auburn native crushed a qualifier in the second and pushed defending champion Victoria Azarenka to the brink of defeat before falling in three sets.

A lower back injury derailed that upset bid.

“My back had been hurting,” she said of her herniated disc. “It was referred to as hip pain but I didn’t know it at the time. I think it was my right hip that was hurting me.”

Hampton advanced to the fourth round of the French Open and then the third round of the U.S. Open. She tried not to think about how much more successful she might have been were it not for her ailments.

“That’s how tennis goes,” she said. “You play. Sometimes you get injured. Nothing’s guaranteed. You don’t know what’s going to happen. And that’s with life as well. I don’t really look at what could have been or what should have been.”

And despite the speed bumps, Hampton isn’t considering retirement any time soon.

“Definitely not,” she said. “I have a really strong passion for tennis and I’ve really wanted to play. There are times where I’ve looked back on my situation that I get a little down. It’s been a hard couple of years but I’ve got great people around me, telling me I’m going to get those years back on the other side of my career.”

The right-hander is careful not to place a deadline on her career, taking her return day by day.

“It’s been a tough process overall,” she said. “I may have to start from the very beginning and go back to the $25,000 and $50,000 (tournaments). To me, that’s OK. I don’t mind it.”

So could she wind up in the next Pelham Racquet Club Women’s $25,000 Pro Circuit Challenger?

“It’s definitely possible,” Hampton said. “I can’t tell you for certain. That’s a few months down the road but it’s definitely a possibility. I hope I’m back at the top tier of tournaments but I’ll be happy just to be back on the court playing, even if I am at that level.”