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It was a year ago at the tournament in the
Southern California desert that the Pole began really to hit her
stride amid a scorching 37-match winning streak.
Since then, the three-time Grand Slam champion has been the
player to beat on tour.
"I feel like there is a little bit of a target on my back, which
I didn't feel last year. So it's a different situation and I
have to adjust to that," she told reporters at Indian Wells on
Wednesday.
"On the other hand I've been number one for almost a year so I
already have enough experience to deal with it."
Learning to tune out the critics is another adjustment she has
had to make.
The 21-year-old said she was taken aback by the negativity that
came with her loss in the final of the Dubai Tennis
Championships last month after she successfully defended her
title in Doha.
"I lost in the final and people were surprised - not happy with
the performance - and just critical," she said.
"It made me think that last year, before this huge streak and
before winning all these tournaments, I would have been so happy
with the result.
"But because of these comments right now, I felt like ooh,
that's not enough. I'm trying not to read those kinds of things
because I'm happy with the work I've put in and how I played in
Doha and Dubai."
She said it's an example of how the world around her has
shifted.
"There is more pressure and expectation but I'm trying to deal
with that the best way possible," she said.
"And I think I'm doing good."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Indian Wells, California; Editing
by Toby Davis)
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