ARGENTINE Juan Monaco wants to take his game to a higher level and move closer to the top five by the end of the 2013 season.
He also aims to break the domination of the "Big Four" -- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray -- who have been winning all the Grand Slams for the past few years.
Monaco returned to the top-10 officially yesterday after clinching the Malaysian Open title on Sunday and is only the fourth player on the ATP World Tour to win four titles this season.
"I'd like to be closer to the top five. I also want to be a consistent top 10 player," said Monaco on Sunday.
"If I continue to work hard with my team on being a more complete player then it will be achievable.
"I won my first title on hard court here and this is a huge progress. I will continue to make an impact as long as I stay injury-free."
Monaco, who had outlasted Japan's Kei Nishikori in a tight semi-final on Saturday, took a see-sawing match 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 for his fourth title of the year, after Vina del Mar, Houston and Hamburg.
The 28-year-old's dream, however, is to break the dominance of the top four ranked players.
"It is all down to hard work and talent. I need to improve in all aspects of my game and also be more aggressive in order to break them.
"Being aggressive is important as I need to be in control of each game (not depend on others to make mistakes)," he said.
Monaco is close to earning a spot in the World Tour Finals in London but must first do well in Tokyo and then Beijing.
Only the top eight players will qualify for the annual tournament.
The Malaysian Open also turned out to be a memorable affair for several upcoming players.
Canada's Vasek Pospisil made the most of the opportunity in the main draw by reaching his first ever tour quarter-finals before bowing out to Monaco.
On the local front, Si Yew Ming created history by becoming the first local to win a match in the tournament.
Yew Ming defeated national junior Colin Wong in the first round of qualifiers but lost tamely his next match to India's Sanam Singh.
Florida-based Assri Merzuki was the most impressive among the local juniors.
The 18-year-old won a set before losing to an experienced opponent in the singles qualifiers and then played in the doubles main draw with Syed Agil Syed Naguib. - www.nst.com.my
