Belinda Bencic isn't putting more pressure on herself because she's become a Top 10 player—instead, she suggests she might loosen up.
Bencic, now ranked No. 7, reached the Top 10 by advancing to the final of St. Petersburg.
"I'm very pleased to be in the Top 10,” Bencic told press members before the WTA event in Doha. “It's a dream come true for sure. I've worked very hard for this and I finally reach it, and kind of relax me a little bit. I'm just enjoying to have this status to see myself as a No. 7.”
Despite her ascent, the prodigy from Switzerland still sees a Grand Slam as more of a long-term goal.
"It's a big step to win a Grand Slam," she said. "I don't feel the pressure now to have to win a Grand Slam. I have lots of time."
Almost all recent Grand Slam winners have been in their mid-twenties or older.
"I just think it's the experience,” Bencic said. “They've been there a lot of times; also the physical game, and just consistency to win seven matches in a row to win the title."
Bencic, with her rankings rise, is among the top eight seeds at Doha.