Cibulkova determined to make an impact at Dubai Championships
dubai — Dominika Cibulkova will be seeking to kick-start her season when she bids for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in just under two weeks’ time.
Cibulkova is part of an incredible world-class field that includes seven of the world’s top 10, headed by world number two and two-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber; 2016 US Open finalist and world number three Karolina Pliskova; French Open champion Garbine Muguruza; three-time Dubai finalist and double Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and recent Sydney winner Johanna Konta.
The diminutive holder of the WTA Finals trophy suffered a disappointing Australian campaign, winning only four of her seven matches. But her confidence remains high following a stunning career-best 2016 season during which her ranking soared into the top five, she earned titles in Katowice, Eastbourne and Linz as well as in Singapore, and she reached the finals of Acapulco, Madrid and Wuhan.
But with success comes the added pressure not only of being a prime target of her opponents hoping to score a headline-grabbing victory over a top player, but dealing with the expectation from many of her fans. “This is my highest ranking,” said the world number five as her 2017 season got underway. “Yeah, you can feel the expectation and the pressure. This is something I’m trying to deal with. You know, I’m first time in this situation, but I have my rituals, what I do during the match, and I just want to focus on tennis, you know, on the tactics. You put away the wrong thoughts you have on the court, like, I should win, or, I don’t want to lose. You just put it away.”
The defiant Slovak will be determined to improve on her record in Dubai. She failed to qualify during her first visit in 2007, had to retire during her third round match in 2009 and she lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the second round in 2010. In the following three years she failed to win a match, having to retire again in 2012. Now she returns to Dubai for the first time since 2013 as a potential champion.