Olympic champ eyes Melbourne breakout

Puerto Rico's Puig quietly confident she can regain giant-killer reputation

Monica Puig would never trade her surprise singles gold at the Rio Games for any Grand Slam success, but Puerto Rico's first Olympic champion felt compelled to lock the medal away amid the lean period that followed her greatest triumph.

She wore the medal with pride for a while, most notably during a hero's homecoming through the streets of San Juan, where thousands of residents in the US territory's capital roared as she rolled by in a grand parade.