Carla Suarez Navarro is quiet, composed, petite and has a whaling one-handed backhand. She is often compared to Justin Henin. “Justine was one of my idols when I was a young player. It's really nice to be compared to her because she was a great No. 1,” says Suarez Navarro. It’s time to get to know Spain’s rising star.

You appear shy. How would your closest friends and family describe you?
They would say that I’m a very calm person when I’m not on the courts. I’m quite introverted, but little by little I’m becoming more open.

Most children learn to hit a backhand with two hands.
Did you?
Even when I was very small, the first time I hit a backhand I did it with one hand. Since I had the strength to use it, my coach didn’t try to change it. I never thought of changing.

Under what circumstances is a one-handed backhand advantageous?
When I’m either running for a ball or when I’m finding it hard to reach a ball, one hand is easier to make the shot. With higher balls two hands would be better than one.

Describe the difficulty of playing a top 10 player.
When I play with a top ranked player, the big thing that I notice is the rhythm of the ball – it has more power. And top players play the important points very well!

Your rankings have steadily climbed. Are you on target
with your goals?
My ranking has gone up quite rapidly but I’m not surprised, because I have worked hard for it. For now I would like to keep it going. I would like for tennis to continue to be my job for a long time. And I hope to enjoy playing as much in the future as I do now.   - Teresa Thompson