Now No. 5, undersized Dominika Cibulkova is standing tall on WTA tour

Lacking height hasn't prevented Dominika Cibulkova from doing big things on the WTA tour. This past weekend, the Slovakian won the WTA Finals in Singapore for the biggest title of her career.

Standing at just 5'3"—almost seven inches below the average height of the rest of the Top 10—the "Pocket Rocket' still packs a big punch with her powerful ground strokes.

When asked if her height is a factor during play, she said she doesn't pay attention to her size.

"You know, I don't care what people think," she said after winning the title in Singapore. "I learned to not care because it won't change anything ... But when I was younger, it was something that motivated me [because] a lot of people around me were like, 'You're too small to play tennis.' They underestimated me."

Despite the negativity, she persisted in her ambitions and now wants to be an example for others.

"I'm glad I can be a motivation for people who don't [want to] see just the big girls winning the big tournaments," she said. "[They want] somebody like me to have a chance to be on the big stage and win big tournaments."

Having previously lacked the confidence of a top player, she said that has changed because of her big wins this season. She has also trained with a mental coach and received tremendous encouragement from her team.

"I never saw myself as a great or consistent player, somebody who could be in the Top 5," she said. "...Now I believe in myself that I can really be even better."

Cibulkova, now with eight career titles, has reached a career-high ranking of No. 5.