Top seed Angelique Kerber prefers to talk about her tennis and not rankings despite an opportunity to reclaim the WTA No. 1 from Serena Williams this week in Dubai.

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Kerber must win the Dubai Tennis Championship that started Sunday if she wants to pass Williams in the rankings. Yet for the former Australian Open champion is only focusing on her tennis.

"For me it's important to play my tennis and find my rhythm again, so this is what counts for me," Kerber said to AP. "Of course, I will try to give my best to win a lot of matches again and then we will see if I can get back to the No. 1.

"I'm really practicing good so I think the thing is to make the transfer from the practice to the matches," Kerber added. "This is the thing I have to get and I think it's just one or two matches that could change it.'

Kerber enters Dubai having a 4-4 record so far this season. This includes a series of opening round losses including at last week’s Doha event to Russia’s Daria Kasatkina who also beat Kerber in Sydney.

At the Australian Open where she was defending champion, Kerber lost in the fourth round to CoCo Vandeweghe. Williams, by winning Melbourne outright, was then able to pass Kerber in the rankings. Williams is not playing this week in Dubai.

Despite the so-so start to the year, Kerber is only looking ahead to this week. Kerber will face fellow German Mona Barthel in the second round.

"It was not, maybe, the best start I was wishing for, but it's not a big drama I think," Kerber said. "I think I know how to get back, it's going there and playing matches, and winning matches again.”