"We thought we were going to wait a long time because we had to find a Caucasian female in her mid 40s to match Connie, so we expected a year before we were able to find a donor, " said Papay, who is also head of craniofacial surgery.

CNN: How gunshot survivor became first to receive face transplant

Having crashed out at Wimbledon in June the Scot did not find her best form until the US Open in August, when she won her first ever main draw match at Flushing Meadows by beating, ironically, Martic.

BBC: Wimbledon slump rocked Elena Baltacha