Simona Halep looked back on a "special year" Sunday following her remarkable ascent to number two in the rankings, but said the top spot remains a distant dream while Serena Williams is still playing.
Tha Romanian was speaking at the inaugural Wuhan Open in China days after being named as the third player to make the season finale, next month's WTA Championships in Singapore, which will feature the top eight women's players.
It has been a remarkable 2014 for Halep, who started the year ranked 11th but leapt to second after winning WTA titles in Bucharest and Doha, as well as reaching the final at Roland Garros.
But the 22-year-old downplayed her chances of reaching the top, saying it was not a goal with American power-hitter Williams still at her peak.
"Not really, because Serena is still playing, so it is hard to get the points," the second seed in Wuhan said.
"My dream this year is to play well in Singapore and in my career my dream is to win a Grand Slam."
Williams won her 18th Grand Slam title earlier this month at the US Open -- a victory which prompted tennis legend Martina Navratilova to say: "She's got no peer right now."
Rising star Halep also lauded the 32-year-old top seed in Wuhan, saying she was playing some of the best tennis of her career.
"She is very strong and she is playing really well like she did in the US Open," Helop said.
"She is a great champion so I don't want to think about reaching number one."
Halep was on Friday named the third player to qualify for the WTA Championship, after Williams and Russian world number four Maria Sharapova.
"It is very special for me that I qualified for Singapore," Halep said.
"I will have a little bit of emotions there, because it is the biggest tournament."
Halep suffered a disappointing third round exit at the US Open, but vowed to rebuild her confidence again at Wuhan.
"I can say it has been a special year for me," she said.
"I am looking forward just to find my confidence again."
The WTA Premier tournament begins Sunday and will reach its climax on September 27.
Source: AFP
