Bulgaria's top female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova has revealed that she practices against men in order to prepare for the next edition of the Australian Open tournament.

"I am getting ready for Australian Open. I think I am doing very well. After all, I practice by playing against men," she said.

On Thursday, Pironkova received the "T-Shirt of the Year" Prize of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation.

"2010 has been my most successful year so far. I really hope to repeat my successes in the future. I play by focusing on every single tournament," the 22-year-old Bulgarian tennis star said.

Yet, she explained she expects the competition to be tougher for her in 2011.

"Next year will be more difficult for me. I am still far from the Top 20. I need more perseverance and effort," she declared while refusing to answer questions by journalists about her personal life, and how it affects her tennis career.

Pironkova did say, however, that she would be pleased if she manages to surpass the achievements of the legendary Bulgarian female tennis players from the 1990s – the Maleev Sisters.

In the 2010 edition of Wimbledon, Pironkova achieved her greatest international success to date by beating Venus Williams in the quarter-final, and becoming the first Bulgarian player to reach the semi-finals of the world's most prestigious tennis tournament.

"Of course, there have been great expectations for me after the Wimbledon semi-final but I try not to think about that. I just focus on my game," she commented upon receiving the award of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation.

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