Latvian tennis star Ernests Gulbis is aiming for the world number one ranking and anything less than the summit in the men’s rankings won’t make him satisfied.
“My long-term goal in tennis isn’t to be Top 20. It’s to be No. 1,” Gulbis said after winning the Open 13 title in Marseille on Sunday. “Anything less than that wouldn’t make me fully satisfied. I don’t want to get to 30 years old, look back on my career and say I didn’t make something of it. Everybody’s looking for satisfaction in life, and my joy and happiness is based on my tennis career.
“I think [the top players] feel threatened by my game, because they know if I serve well and I’m aggressive, then it’s tough to play against me. I don’t feel I’m in the same league as the [Top 4] yet, I need to prove it. Game-wise, I think that I can be.”
Gulbis defeated defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final and he now has a perfect 5-0 in ATP Tour finals.
“5-0 is really good. I remember when I used to play Futures and Challengers, I think I lost maybe one or two finals. When I get into finals I really have good form and good confidence and play my best tennis. Today I was serving really well and in the tie-break I was feeling really, really confident.
The title win propels Gulbis’ ranking to number 23 on Monday.
