Dinara Safina has vowed not to let her desire to win a grand slam title affect her performance if she reaches the final at Wimbledon.
The world number one determined to focus on the game
Top seed Dinara Safina has vowed not to let her desire to win a grand slam singles' title affect her performance if she reaches the final at Wimbledon.
The world number one has made three major finals in her career, including at the last two grand slams in Australia and France, but has been defeated in straight sets every time.
The 23-year-old was flattened by Serena Williams in Melbourne and went into the Roland Garros showpiece as favourite only to be beaten by Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Safina, who sailed through round one at SW19 with a 7-5 6-3 win against Lourdes Dominguez, said: "This wanting to win a grand slam, it took over me.
"I know it's not easy to just go out there and have fun and play. It's not easy because you know it's a grand slam and it's a last match and of course you want to win.
"But somehow (I have) to let it go, to just focus more on my game than on the result of the match."
Potential
Safina believes winning the Wimbledon trophy would silence critics who have questioned her right to be number one and also cease the doubt in her own head.
She said: "I know that I have potential. I know that I have everything to have it. So somehow I need to put everything together."
Defending champion Venus Williams launched her bid for her sixth Wimbledon singles title with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Stefanie Voegele which secured her a second-round meeting with Kateryna Bondarenko.
Williams said: "It's a special moment when you walk back as defending champion on that court, throw those balls up for the first point. It's a really great feeling."
Ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, 18, won 5-7 6-3 6-1 over 38-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm, who made her Wimbledon debut before the Dane was even born.
Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic saved a match point before winning a marathon contest with Lucie Hradecka 5-7 6-2 8-6 while former champion Amelie Mauresmo also needed three sets before seeing off Melinda Czink 6-1 4-6 6-2.
