Heather Watson Is Ranked 50 And Shooting Higher

Written by: Staff on 17th October 2012

Heather Watson Is Ranked 50 And Shooting Higher

epa03330554 Heather Watson of Britain returns to Maria Kirilenko of Russia in their second round match during the London 2012 Olympic Games Tennis competition in Wimbledon, Greater London, Britain, 31 July 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Heather Watson, Britain’s first winner on the WTA for 24 years, insists 2013 will see her add more titles to that she won at the HP Japan Open on Sunday.

On her way to spending a well earned week of rest with her family in Channel Island of Guernsey, the 20-year-old stopped off at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Centre at Roehampton and stressed her confidence is sky high and she has the necessary self-belief to propel her all the way to the top of the women’s game.

“I definitely believe in myself,” said Watson, who this week stands in 50th position on the WTA rankings. “I wouldn’t be in the game if I didn’t. I have the mental toughness and the capability.”

But she agreed that didn’t make her unique in the group of youngsters on the rise. “You know all these girls think the same thing, so it’s just who can do it, and I’m just going to do whatever it takes,” said the former US Open junior champion.

Watson insists she would have liked to lifted WTA silverware before now and thinks the Japan title could be the first of many. “I definitely hope so and I would be very disappointed if there aren’t more,” she said. “I feel like I could have done this earlier on, I just didn’t focus hard enough. Now that I have learned that, there will be some more in the future.”

Nick Bollettieri, the man at whose academy Watson learned her trade, insists she would be wrong to set herself too many targets for the next year and she responded: “I haven’t set my goals yet for 2013 but I will look at getting in the top 40 before I look at getting in the top four.

“This year I wanted to get to the top 50 and did it in the end. In the men’s game it’s very much that you have your top few players who win week in week out, they always seem to come through.

“In the women’s game it’s different and anyone on their day has their opportunity to win. If you look at Angelique Kerber and Sara Errani, they were ranked around 100 last year and now they are in the top ten.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: 10sballs.com, Angelique Kerber, British tennis news, Heather Watson, HP Japan Open, Sara Errani, Sports, Tennis News, Wta