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Clijsters has one eye on the No. 1 spot

Kim Clijsters last won in Miami in 2005 © Getty Images

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Kim Clijsters believes she can return to the world No. 1 spot if her current form continues.

The Belgian thrashed Venus Williams to win her second title of 2010 in Miami on Saturday, notching her third title in just eight tournaments since her comeback.

Clijsters' victory saw her climb up the rankings to return to the top ten for the first time since 2006, and although she insists it is no longer her priority, she believes top spot is an attainable target.

"If I do well at the tournaments I play I think number one is maybe possible," said the former world No. 1. "It's just it's not my main goal. I'm not in a situation where I feel I just want to go to this tournament and that tournament to get more (ranking) points.

"So if it would happen, that would be great. Obviously I feel I'm hitting the ball really well. Maybe better than I ever have.

"But it's just No. 1 is not really a focus for me. I think I want to peak at the tournaments I play in. If you do well at those tournaments I think automatically you'll get more points and then maybe it can happen."

At 27, Clijsters is one of the oldest women on the WTA Tour, and she is conscious that she must now be more selective in her choice of tournaments.

"When you're 16 or 17 you're like, 'Hey, let me play every week', because it's that adrenaline that motivates you and keeps you going," Clijsters said. "I'm in a situation now that I can't do that any more. I don't think there's any top players that do.

"Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva, they play a lot of tournaments but I'm in a situation where I don't want to do that. Physically I don't want to risk that any more. That's something that caused me a lot of injuries in the past."

Britain's Elena Baltacha's excellent effort in recent weeks have been rewarded by a rise in the rankings to 59.

World Rankings
1 Serena Williams (USA), 2 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), 3 Dinara Safina (RUS), 4 Venus Williams (USA), 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), 6 Elena Dementieva (Rus), 7 Jelena Jankovic (SRB), 8 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), 9 Victoria Azarenka (BLR), 10 Kim Clijsters (BEL), 11 Sam Stosur (AUS), 12 Marion Bartoli (FRA), 13 Yanina Wickmayer (BEL), 14 Maria Sharapova (RUS), 15 Na Li (CHN), 16 Flavia Pennetta (ITA), 17 Francesca Schiavone (ITA), 18 Nadia Petrova (RUS), 19 Shahar Peer (ISR), 20 Aravane Rezai (FRA)

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