WTA Championships, Doha
Dates: 26-31 October
Coverage: Live coverage on Eurosport (1430 BST) and WTA website, reports and photos on BBC Sport website

Wozniacki is getting used to life at the top of the rankings

By Piers Newbery

Caroline Wozniacki arrives in a sweltering Doha with a number one ranking to protect and seven of the world's best players to take on, but her immediate concern is a bit more mundane.

With temperatures nudging 37C in the Qatari capital, the 20-year-old Dane is passing time until she can get to work.

"It's really hot out there and I'm having a hit later today," she says. "I'm just waiting for the sun to go down so it gets a bit cooler."

The matches will be played in the evening when the end-of-season WTA Championships get under way on Tuesday but, as Wozniacki knows better than most, players will still need to adapt to the conditions.

She made her debut at the elite eight-player event 12 months ago and reached the semi-finals, but only after coming through an extraordinary round-robin match against Vera Zvonareva that lasted nearly three hours and in which the tearful Dane suffered agonising cramp.

She's not like a Serena who will hit a lot winners and aces. She really has to fight for almost every match she plays, which is a good thing. She brings beautiful tennis, I think, to the tour Kim Clijsters

"I'm a more experienced player now and I've learnt a lot from last year - I've learned to drink more water before I go on court!" Wozniacki tells BBC Sport.

"I look back on the experience and I still can't believe I won that match against Zvonareva after having that full body cramp. Now I look back and I'm really proud of the way I was fighting, but during that moment I was just thinking, 'OK, just get through this match'.

"This year's different and I'm 100% healthy and feeling very good physically. I'd definitely like to get through the matches 100% this year and without any cramp."

Few doubt Wozniacki's fighting qualities and her accession to the number one ranking has met with less outright hostility than recent predecessors, but without a Grand Slam title to her name the questions will remain.

The shadow of Serena Williams looms large over women's tennis despite her not having played since Wimbledon and somehow her absence is felt more even more this week.

Wozniacki has played 21 tournaments this year and won six of them, but made only one semi-final at a Grand Slam, while Serena, whose season was ended by a cut foot, played six tournaments in total but collected the major prizes of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and remains third in the rankings.

Wozniacki suffered severe cramp against Azarenka in Doha last year

You would be hard pushed to find anyone who believes Serena is not the best female tennis player in the world, but it is not Wozniacki's fault that the American plays so infrequently, and the Dane is admirably cheerful in the face of what will become a familiar line of questioning.

"I really don't think about it too much but it's great to see my name at the top of the rankings," she says.

"I've had a really great season so far and won six tournaments, and I'm really pleased about the way I've been playing. It's definitely a dream I've had since I was a little girl to reach the number one ranking and that it's happened already is a really nice feeling."

Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic are the others to have reached top spot without winning a Slam in recent years - Jankovic in the latter half of 2008 and Safina for much of 2009 - and both women endured a tough time during their reigns as number one.

The most obvious critic was Serena Williams herself, and her pronouncement on falling behind Safina in the rankings that "we all know who the real number one is" would haunt the Russian for the rest of the year and beyond.

Diplomatic it certainly wasn't, but few could argue the case. So far, the 13-time Grand Slam champion has remained quiet on Wozniacki's ranking and the Dane's personable nature might help her out in this regard as she is a popular person on tour and friends with Serena.

But if Wozniacki is to prove herself the best player in the world she needs to drastically improve a losing record against some of the leading names, such as Serena (0-2), Venus Williams (0-4), Kim Clijsters (0-1) and Justine Henin (0-1), and a more attacking game is likely to be required.

"I think she has a game that's physically demanding," says Clijsters. "She's not like a Serena who will hit a lot winners and aces. She really has to fight for almost every match she plays, which is a good thing. She brings beautiful tennis, I think, to the tour."

JONATHAN OVEREND'S BLOG Is she better than Safina and Jankovic? In my opinion, yes. She has fewer weaknesses and is mentally stronger. I like the way she plays with a smile and I believe she will win a major, perhaps starting in Australia in January

One thing Wozniacki does have is time on her side. Jankovic and Safina were three years older than the Dane is now when they made it to number one. There is every reason to believe Wozniacki will continue to improve having only turned 20 in July.

"Over the last 12 months I think I've improved physically and in my game, a little bit on everything," she says.

"The experience I've gained has done a lot. I've been playing really well and I believe I can beat anyone on a good day, but it's not going to be easy. To win a Grand Slam you need to win seven matches in a row, so it's tough but I believe it's possible."

And far from shying away from the Grand Slam question, she is happy to confront the missing item on her CV and believes the busy schedule that brought her six titles this year is the right one to attack the majors in 2011.

"Definitely winning a Slam would be a target and a goal," admits Wozniacki. "I've reached the number one ranking, so the next one definitely would be a Slam.

"I haven't really thought too much about next year but I've had a good season and I'm feeling fit and healthy now, so I think next year will be something similar."

For now, Wozniacki is focused on the week ahead and winning what she admits would "probably be the biggest title of my career" in Doha.

The absence of both Williams sisters - last year's finalists - because of injury and a run of form that has seen Wozniacki win four of her last five tournaments and 30 of her last 32 matches suggests the Dane has every chance.

"I think Venus and Serena are great players and champions, and have had great seasons, it's just unfortunate that they're injured," she says. "I would have liked to have seen them here but that's the way it is.

"I've just got to focus on myself and try to do my best here. I feel very confident, I've been playing some great tennis, so I'm feeling good."

Wozniacki steps it up to win rally

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