Former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic [ Images ] insisted she still had the game to challenge for grand slam titles after booking a spot in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open on Monday.
The Serb, seeded 11th in Tokyo, beat Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 2-0 to advance after the Czech retired with a thigh injury after just 44 minutes.
"That's the only reason I'm still here," Ivanovic, who climbed to the top of the women's rankings after winning the 2008 French Open [ Images ], said.
"I already achieved two of my biggest dreams in winning a Grand Slam and being No. 1 in the world.
"But I believe I can still be at the top level and winning Grand Slams. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," added the 24-year-old winner of 11 WTA Tour titles.
Ivanovic, who has won more than $9.6 million career prize money, admitted she still had a little work to do to seriously challenge at the major tournaments.
"I need to work on my strength in the off-season, get a little stronger," said Serbia's tennis pin-up, who reached the quarter-finals of the US Open [ Images ] earlier this month.
"But it's also confidence. Beating the top players can really boost your confidence and make you start to believe."
Ivanovic, beaten by eventual champion Serena Williams [ Images ] in New York, will face Poland's Urszula Radwanska in the second round in Tokyo after the Polish player's 6-2, 6-4 win over Japan's [ Images ] Kurumi Nara.
Russia's [ Images ] Nadia Petrova [ Images ] overpowered China's Peng Shuai [ Images ] 6-1, 6-4, knocking out one of three Chinese players appearing despite their country's fierce political row with Japan over disputed islands.
In other first-round matches, qualifier Pauline Parmentier beat fellow Frenchwoman Alize Cornet [ Images ] 6-3, 6-4.
American Jamie Hampton was another qualifier to advance, ousting France's [ Images ] Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-2.
Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
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