Kvitova not driven by top ranking

Petra Kvitova is closing in on being ranked the best player in women's tennis, but the Czech Republic ace said on Friday that she could not care less about the honour.

Speaking in Western Australia as she prepared for the mixed teams Hopman Cup, where she will face the player whose number one ranking many people expect her to usurp in early 2012, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, Kvitova dismissed the top ranking as a personal goal.

"Not really," the 21-year-old said when asked if she had a desire to be number one in the world.

"I am not the one who compares me and Caroline, I focus on my game and improving. My focus is to improve my game, not the ranking.

"My goal is improving my game ... everywhere - technique, tactics and mentally."

Although the left-hander is just 115 ranking points behind Wozniacki, Kvitova said reaching the top was not as inevitable as many people would like to believe.

"It's still a long way to be number one, it is a really big step," the Czech star said. "She (Wozniacki) is playing great."

Kvitova, who is teaming up with Tomas Berdych in Perth, will face Wozniacki in a singles match when the Danes and Czechs meet in a Group A tie on Friday, January 6.

She dismissed suggestions the match offered the chance to gain an early psychological advantage for 2012.

"I look forward to every match I play, it doesn't matter who is on the other side, she said. "Caroline is always tough to play and we play good matches."

Kvitova admitted 2011 was a "dream", climbing from 34th to second in the world.

Along the way she achieved something Wozniacki has thus far been unable to, winning her maiden Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Russian Maria Sharapova in the final.