Dubai: Anna-Lena Groenefeld, not so long ago considered one of the best women players in Germany, has set her sights on clawing her way up the rankings once again.
"I think I am getting better by the day. I was there before and I realise what I need to do if I am going to be effective once again," Groenefeld told Gulf News after a "successful" 2010 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships last week
"The top players play every point very tough and you don't get any easy balls from them. You have to really earn your win, and I think I am ready for this."
It was a good yet tough week for the 24-year-old after she came through the qualifiers, only to fall one step short in three sets in the pre-quarterfinals against the fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday.
However, she had no regrets. "I think I had a good tournament overall. I came through the qualifiers and won two rounds and then I thought I was a little tired. So right now, I think I need to work and see how I can last a little longer on court," she said.
"But overall, I still think this has been a great performance for me as I just tried to stay in the match and give everything I had. But I guess it was not as much as before," she said.
Though coming out as Germany's top women's player in 2006, Groenefeld has flattered to deceive. In August 2007, she took a break after a slump in form and her comeback in May 2008 was one to watch as she achieved a lot of success.
Groenefeld's best showing in the singles at Grand Slams has been impressive with a third round at the Australian Open in 2005, followed by a quarterfinal at Roland Garros in 2006 and a fourth round at the 2008 US Open.
Doubles success
She has been much more effective in doubles, making it to two semifinals — at the US Open and Wimbledon in 2005 — and another two quarterfinals at the Australian and French Open in 2009. She also teamed up with Mark Knowles from the Bahamas to win the mixed doubles at Wimbledon last year.
So coming so far in a tournament like this, which saw 18 of the top-20 players participating, was a great boost for her.
"It's hard to say how long it will take for me to get back to my old form. But I think I am in a good way right now. We will see how it goes. I don't want to set a time for myself," she said. "My first goal is that I want to get back to the top-50 and then if it is a good year see if I can get through to the top-30 with the hope that there will be no further injuries."
