BRUSSELS, Belgium - Only one player has won more matches than her this year, and with a title run at the Brussels Open this week she could pass that player - World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska spoke to the press ahead of the Premier-level tournament, and here's a taste of what she said...
On her rapid rise to No.3 in recent months...
"I'm very happy because I've managed to play my best tennis since the beginning of the year and I've improved my ranking so much in just a couple of months. But it's funny, because I haven't really changed anything - I've been practicing in the same place, with the same people, doing the same stuff."
On what she considers her best win of the year...
"Winning the Miami tournament, the biggest tournament after the Grand Slams. I had a lot of great matches there, beating Venus, Bartoli and Sharapova, and I didn't even lose one set. I played really great tennis there and my level was very high in the finals. I was very happy about my performance there."
On Azarenka, the only player with more wins than her this year...
"Victoria is playing very well this year, pretty much on every surface. She's just too good. I'd love to have revenge of course, but I hope we don't play again too soon! Maybe we can play again in a few weeks or a few months. It's nice to play other players - but we might play each other again next week, we'll see!"
On Brussels...
"It's my first time in Brussels - I think it's my first time in Belgium, but I'm not sure, if I've been here before it was a long time ago and I don't remember! But I don't think so. I don't know much about Belgium but I'm going to the museum here, so hopefully I'll know more about it than just the hotel and the courts.
"I've walked around the city a bit, because the hotel is in the city. It looks like there are a lot of good restaurants, so I'm looking forward to going to those."
On watching her sister Urszula's qualifying matches...
"Yes I have. I used to get very nervous watching her, but now I'm kind of used to it. We've been doing the same thing for so many years. Of course when it's a tight match, a tie-break or 5-all in the third, I'm nervous. But mostly I cheer."
On her idols when she was young...
"I always loved watching tennis - even until now I still do. I was always pretty much watching everyone - of course I loved to watch Martina Hingis, and Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, the Williams sisters too. Pretty much everyone!"
On being among the favorites for the upcoming French Open...
"Now that I'm No.3 there's always some pressure to do well anywhere, but I don't really think about it. I just try to focus on my game and play my best tennis."
On her favorite surface...
"I was practicing all my life on clay - I don't even have a hardcourt in the city where I practice - but pretty much 90% of tournaments are on hardcourts, so I'm used to it now, and I prefer it. And grass too. Clay is a bit in the background now, but one year I won a clay court tournament, so I know I can do it."