Simona Halep said she has been working to improve her game, even following a season where she reached No. 3 and got to her first Grand Slam final.
The Romanian changed coaches, and is now working with compatriot Victor Ionita and Thomas Hogsedt as a consultant.
"Just improve in my game more and more," she told press at the Australian Open, asked why she had changed coaches. "I did in my serve, very well in the off-season, and as well in my forehand. I'm moving better than last year. I'm working hard every day. I changed because I just wanted to change something, and I did."
On her serving motion, she says she "changed a little bit my technique."
The new coaching arrangement is developing well. "The things are going good. I know him for a long time because he is Romanian," she said. "We played both in Bucharest before. It's good. He's relaxed. We feel each other in a good way. I can say not really that he's listening me, but he's listening what I need and what I want to do in that day."
Halep sees her climb into the top ranks as creating less rather than more pressure, saying, "I can say now I feel no pressure. I have just to play my game during the matches and to see how good I can be, how many results I can do, how many matches I can win. So my goal is again to go to Singapore [the WTA Finals] and to win matches with top player."