Paula Badosa made a successful WTA Finals debut tearing through 10 games in a row to dismiss top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0.
Badosa, who finished 2020 ranked No. 70, made her Top 10 debut on Monday. Badosa celebrates her 24th birthday on Monday with a clear plan to sustain her Top 10 spot.
More: Badosa Sprints Past Sabalenka
The seventh-seeded Spaniard cites a three-point plan to spark staying power: a healthy work-life balance, continued commitment to improvement and a positive mindset.
"It's very complicated to stay in the top," Badosa told the media in Guadalajara. "I think you need to have a stability in your life, be happy outside the court. I think on court you have to work very hard every day.
"Even though now I'm a top-10 player, it's impossible to relax. You're top 10 today but tomorrow you're out of there, you stop working. I have that very clear. I know what I want, what I don't want in my life. One of the things I really want is to stay here, so I will try all my best. I think one of the keys to stay, it's to improve every day, do different things, every day do a little bit better my forehand, my serve, include some things on my game. It's the only way."
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty