Katie Boulter is so eager to build on her successes of this season that she will forgo a holiday and get straight back in the gym.
The 27-year-old capped a breakthrough year in which she won a first WTA Tour title and reached the top 50 by leading Great Britain to victory over Sweden in the Billie Jean King Cup in London.
Boulter cited her biggest achievement, though, as simply playing a full season having been beset by injuries and illness throughout her career so far.
Top of the Leicestershire player’s objectives is therefore trying to ensure the same is true for 2024, but she also has her sights set on being seeded at grand slams and proving she belongs at the top of the game.
“I’ve got a few different goals in my mind,” she said. “I want to build on this year, I really want to get my feet inside the line, which I already have but now I’ve got to stay there, I’ve got to win these matches week in, week out, beating the top girls.
“You reach your goal and you think you’d be satisfied but you’re not even close. I’m already looking at the next milestone, I want to be seeded in slams, that’s my next stop. I want to be constantly in the top 50, I want to be pushing those boundaries.
“No matter how happy I might be with my year, I actually think it fuels me even more and makes me hungrier going into next year because it’s given me a lot of belief that I belong at this level and I genuinely see and think that I can climb up the rankings but I also know there’s a lot of hard work to be done.
“I’ve got to pace myself but I want to be back in the gym, I want to be bullet-proofing my body as quickly as possible, taking the least amount of days off that I possibly can.”
Her new season will begin before the year is out at the United Cup, a mixed international team competition in Australia that will see Boulter go head-to-head against her Australian boyfriend Alex De Minaur.
She said: “We respect each other as competitors and also off the court as well. I’m sure we’ll talk about it when we get a little closer to it but we’re both going to put our heart on the line for our countries. I know he’s country proud, I know I’m country proud, so we’ll see if we’re still together by the end of it!”
Sweden were among the weakest opposition Britain could have faced, and a nightmare debut for Jodie Burrage, which left them having to come from behind to secure a 3-1 victory, was the obvious negative of the weekend.
Captain Anne Keothavong does have experienced players in her ranks, though, and Harriet Dart proved a solid pair of hands when she replaced Burrage on Sunday to wrap up the tie.
Both Burrage and Boulter have had the best seasons of their careers and sit in the top 100, leaving the national picture looking rosier than a period in the spring when there were no British women in double figures.
Keothavong hopes there will soon be competition, as well, from a crop of highly promising teenagers.
Isabelle Lacy, 17, was at the Copper Box as a hitting partner while there is real excitement around the futures of 14-year-old Hannah Klugman and 16-year-old Mingge Xu, who led Britain’s Junior Billie Jean King Cup team to the semi-finals last week, and another 14-year-old, Mika Stojsavljevic.
“The more of you competing at that highest level, the better,” said Keothavong. “You’re going to push each other, and it’s not just (these players).
“We’ve got Mimi Xu and Hannah Klugman, the girls did really well this week, and they’ve shown lots of promise over the last few weeks, scoring some good wins.
“I know they’re limited (by age) with the number of tournaments they can play but their level is up there and I think that’s really exciting for women’s tennis. We’ve got competition for places on this team and we’ve got players with experience who know how it works, but there’s no guarantee for anyone.”
Sabalenka relishing 'great battle' with best friend Badosa at Roland-Garros
Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to "great fighter" Paula Badosa and is relishing the opportunity to play her best friend on the WTA Tour in the French Open third round.
The pair have endured contrasting fortunes in their opening two matches at Roland-Garros this week.
Sabalenka has dropped just seven games on the way to straight-set victories over Erika Andreeva and Moyuka Uchijima, while Badosa has come from behind to beat Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva.
The reigning Australian Open champion - fresh from reaching successive clay-court finals in Madrid and Rome - cannot wait to face the Spaniard, but acknowledged their friendship will be put aside when they collide.
"She's my favourite," Sabalenka said. "I love her so much. I love to see her play, and she's really a great fighter, so it's always great matches.
"It's always tough to play your friend, really your best friend on tour, but we know how to manage that. We know how to separate court and life. So, it's always a great battle, a great fight against her. I always enjoy playing against her."
Sabalenka has won each of the last four meetings between the players, though the most recent in Stuttgart earlier this year ended prematurely with an emotional Badosa forced to retire injured.
The former world number two has endured a seemingly endless battle with injuries in recent times, with a back problem forcing her to miss the second half of last season and seeing her drop out of the WTA's top 100.
"She has a big personality," Badosa said of her opponent. "She always brings this good energy, even on court. She's a very active, very intense player.
"I'm really looking forward to that match. I think the last time [in Stuttgart], it finished in a sad way. I learned a lot from that match. I think it was a very good one from both sides.
"Sharing the court with her - after all these results she's getting - is a pleasure for me, because this past year hasn't been easy. Playing this kind of match makes it all worth it."
Vondrousova and Keys hold off tough tests to reach French Open third round
Marketa Vondrousova and Madison Keys were both pushed hard but advanced to the fourth round of the French Open on Thursday.
Vondrousova's topsy-turvy match against Katie Volynets started on Wednesday before concluding on Thursday, with the number five seed coming out on top 0-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The American started strongly, storming through the first set, but Vondrousova recovered well to take a commanding 4-1 lead before rain washed out the rest of the game.
Vondrousova picked up where she left off upon resumption on Thursday and won one game before another delay due to rain, but eventually saw out the win.
Keys, meanwhile, won in straight sets against Mayar Sherif, holding out for a 6-0 7-6 (9-7) victory.
The American cruised through the first game, enjoying three breaks, but a stern fightback from Sherif almost caused some problems.
Keys held her nerve though, avoiding a decider by saving three set points to prevail on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Vondrousova will face Chloe Paquet in the next round, while Keys will play either Sara Errani or Emma Navaro.
Data Debrief: Vondrousova marches forward
The Roland Garros is the tournament where Vondrousova has won the joint-most career matches (13, equalling Indian Wells).
She is also unbeaten against opponents ranked above 100 in the WTA since the start of 2023, going 10-0 against such competitors.
Djokovic marches into French Open third round after dominant straight-sets win
Novak Djokovic eased through to the French Open third round following another straight-sets victory over Roberto Carballes Baena at Roland-Garros.
The reigning champion, who is seeking a record-breaking 25th grand slam singles title, took just over two hours to wrap up a 6-4 6-1 6-2 win and set up a showdown with either Gael Monfils or Lorenzo Musetti in round three.
Not since the 2017 Australian Open has Djokovic failed to progress beyond the second round at a major.
It looked like the Serb would be in for a tough battle as Carballes Baena broke in the opening game, though he did respond immediately before the first set appeared finely poised at 4-4 and deuce.
Djokovic subsequently drew first blood, and it was very much one-way traffic thereon.
Indeed, from 4-4 in that first set, the world number one won 14 of the next 17 games to sail into the last 32.
Data Debrief: Djokovic surpasses Nadal at Roland-Garros
The undisputed 'King of Clay', Nadal's record of 14 French Open titles looks highly unlikely to be under any severe threat in the near future.
However, Djokovic has surpassed the Spaniard by reaching round three at Roland-Garros for a 19th time in his 20 appearances - the most appearances by any player during the Open Era.
The Serb also notched up his 94th match win at the French Open. That is his joint-most at a single ATP event in his career, matching is tally at the Australian Open, where he is a 10-time champion.
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