WTA Championships round-robin

It is not how Clijsters likes it, and she admits to enduring some "tougher days" as a result, but the triple US Open champion's full attention will soon be on her first match in more than six weeks. A WTA Championships round-robin opener against the late-arriving Kremlin Cup winner Victoria Azarenka will bring its own challenges, with the desert conditions so extreme — "a survivor week for all of us" was Elena Dementieva's description — that Clijsters has had to scale back her practice schedule for fear of overdoing things.

Back in 2003, Clijsters also claimed the top ranking before she owned a major title, as the still-empty-handed Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina have done more recently. And so, having won more titles (6) and matches (59) this season than any other WTA player, the prolific Wozniacki is the latest grand slam maiden to numerically rule the world — assisted greatly by the post-Wimbledon absence of Serena Williams and limited schedules of Clijsters and others.

"Not having them here now, I feel like I have so much time off," smiled Clijsters, remarking on the absence of a large entourage that normally includes her husband Brian Lynch, Jada and a nanny. "It's different. It's a new experience. But, yeah, I mean, I can focus on tennis now."

Clijsters believes it is inevitable that as Wozniacki gets older she will play less, while world No.2 Vera Zvonareva notes that it is one thing to get to the top, but quite another to remain. "(Wozniacki) played a lot of matches, she won, and she became No.1. To stay there, well, she will have to win Grand Slams, otherwise she won't stay there long," said Zvonareva. "But I think she deserves that position."

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As well as being the only former champion in the field, Clijsters is the marquee name at a $4.64 million event missing both the Williams sisters and Justine Henin. Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed and newly-crowned No.1, but what the 20-year-old's peers agreed on Monday was a fair and deserved honour is also widely accepted as a triumph of consistency over greatness. At least for now.

Sam Stosur was scheduled to play tonight against Francesca Schiavone in a rematch of the French Open final the Italian veteran won in straight sets, and the Australian also dares to dream of No.1. "I'm a little bit older than Caroline, but I still feel young enough to be able to play out here for another four or five years yet," said the world No.7. "It's the best time of my career so far, so I think to be able to look forward and ahead is, yeah, it's bright, I think. If I can keep going the way I'm going, hopefully I can get up there or close to there as well."

The Belgian was restricted to fitness work such as swimming and cycling at first, but although her court-time has been limited, the powerful baseliner's favouritism for a title she won in 2002-03 remains intact. "Physically, I feel fine," she insisted, while admitting she would need a match or two to "just try to get a feel for just playing outdoors again, playing in the heat, playing against top players. They're all like quarter-finals, semi-finals of grand slams. It'll be a challenge. I look forward to it".