Gibbs' heart is with Las Vegas shooting victims

Sam Groth and Nicole Gibbs are giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional tennis all year long in My Tennis Life. To read more updates from Sam and Nicole, go to tennischannel.com.

Checking in on my last full day in Beijing. I played two really tough matches in qualifying this week, coming through from behind in one, and falling short after leading in the other. Overall, I felt that my level was good and that I competed well, despite not successfully qualifying this time around. My coach and I got right back on the practice court the day after my loss and put in some really good work, and I’m looking forward to continuing that trend between now and my next match.

Next, we will head to Hong Kong, one of my favorite cities in the world to visit. For those who haven’t been: the skyline in Hong Kong puts Manhattan to shame. While Asia normally presents a significant cultural challenge for Westerners, the “ex-pat” community there is significant, and thus English speakers are fairly easy to come by. The tournament itself in Hong Kong is also excellent and well attended, so I’m looking forward to all aspects of the week ahead.

While falling short of my goals these past few weeks has not been enjoyable or ideal, I refuse to be anything but positive. My team and I feel really great about where my game is at and what I am capable of, and that is much more important than any single result or even string of results. With two big tournaments to go, I intend to continue to leave everything out on the court competitively and do everything in my power to continue improving for what’s left of my season.

On a separate note, I have been devastated by the news of the horrific events in Las Vegas. Words will never be enough to express the heartache that I feel for those affected by such senseless violence.

However, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone still fighting for their lives, as well as with the loved ones of the victims.

Great Britain's Laura Robson was at the concert during the violent attack.

She tweeted on Monday to confirm she was OK, adding that the gunfire "sounded like fireworks at first then everyone started running."