The Olympic gold medalist winner is focusing herself to prepare for next season, Ammad Raja reports for Tennis World USA.

Monica Puig was a standout player in 2016 as the Puerto Rican made a name for herself this season. The 23 year old went on to win an Olympic gold, defeating the World No 1, Angelique Kerber in the process.

One of the main focuses for Puig in 2017 is winning a Grand Slam and continue to make progress in her career.

“For 2017 I hope to continue to rise in the world ranking, compete to win my first Grand Slam and titles in the WTA circuit,” Puig said. “My goal is to continue to progress and develop as a player. I think I will continue to improve.”

“This is the time in which I can sit down with my team and plan what I want to do, the objectives for next year … “, Puig said. “With a lot of work you get great things. I want to send the message that even though things look very black at a given moment, if you continue persevering and believing in your dreams, you can achieve the things you have always dreamed of. This was one of the keys of this year: stay positive and keep fighting for what I wanted. “