Dubai: Carla Suarez Navarro wants to perfect the way she starts matches at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 27-year-old Spaniard felt she got off to slow starts at last month’s Australian Open where she reached the quarter-finals before losing to Agnieszka Radwanska.
“I had a few matches where I lost the first set and then needed to come back and what I learnt from that is that I need to start better,” said the World No.8, who is the third seed this week in Dubai.
“The most important thing is how you finish a match, but at this level you also have to start well. So this is what I take with me into this tournament,” added Navarro, who has reached the quarter-finals on her last two of three appearances here in Dubai.
Navarro said her chances of improving her record in Dubai were increased with the withdrawal of top players, such as World No.1 Serena Williams and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.
“The best players withdrawing, it’s much better for us,” she added. “But the draw is really tough and there are still top players here. Every single match that we play every week is tough, so you have to be focused all the time.
“For sure when Serena or Angelique, the big opponents, are not here, maybe it’s a little bit easier, but the reality is that the rest of the players want to win the title and all the players have the same goal.”
