A little over 10 years have passed since a 16-year-old Viktoria Hruncakova claimed her first title on the ITF World Tennis Tour, with her tennis journey taking the Slovakian player through plenty of highs and lows since that breakthrough moment.

Hruncakova reached a career-high ranking of No. 43 in March 2019 and has been as high as No. 27 in the WTA Tour doubles rankings, with her focus now trained on reclaiming those heights heading into the new year. 

After winning main draw matches at three of the four Grand Slams and making it through to the semi-finals of the 2019 US Open with her doubles partner Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Hruncakova is eager to get back on the game's biggest stages after a year that has seen her add three more ITF World Tennis Tour titles to her collection, taking her total to 17.

A little over a week after a career highlight saw her help Slovakia reach the final of the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga, Hruncakova spoke to us from the W100 Dubai event and it was clear that her drive to make her mark in 2025 is burning brightly.

What are your memories of your first ITF World Tennis Tour triumph at W10 Heraklion, Greece in 2014?

I remember it was a long time ago! I was just 16 and was mixing playing junior events with the ITF tournaments. It was the perfect way to make the move into women's tennis. Making a sudden transition would not be easy, but the way I did it allowed me to develop my game and understand what I needed to do to progress from the juniors. Playing in the junior Grand Slams was also important for me because it gave me a chance to see what was possible. Then I won the ITF tournament in Greece it felt like an important step. 

Can you compare the level on today's ITF World Tennis Tour to your early experiences?

So much has improved and the biggest change is the level of the players. It is just crazy now. You see the draws for the W25s and W35s and there are players in there that are so good. The depth in the game now is amazing. We are here in Dubai trying to get ranking points to make it into qualifying for the Australian Open and the level you are up against in every match is so strong. The standards have gone up so much since I got into the top 100 for the first time.

How important are the prize money increases coming in ITF World Tennis Tour next year?

This tournament in Dubai has always been great and these ITF events feel like the main tour now. Now we have prize money going up next year and also more tournaments to play, which is so important for players who are trying to make enough money. I play against players in these tournaments and their level is just amazing, but then I see the money they have won and it shows how tough it is to reach a high level. I am fortunate to have had some good wins and that allows me to sustain my career, but other players need more money and this is why it's great to see the ITF bringing in higher prize money next year.

You have won three tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour this year, but what has been your highlight in 2024?

Winning a tournament is always amazing, but I would have to say reaching the final of the Billie Jean King Cup for Slovakia is the biggest highlight. Just to be in Malaga was special because playing for Slovakia has been a passion for me since I was a junior. I have always loved playing for my country, it means so much to me. So to get to the Finals and then beat USA and Australia in our first two matches was so special. We did not expect this, especially the win against USA. Then we managed to beat Great Britain with a win in the doubles to reach the final and it was such an amazing experience. Hopefully our achievement has inspired some girls in Slovakia to pick up a racket because it was amazing to be a part of this.

What are your targets for 2025?

Hopefully I will get into qualifying for the Australian Open and then you always have a chance to get through to the main draw. It's always difficult to work out the rankings as you never know how many players have a protected ranking to get into the Grand Slams, but the Australian Open is the first target and then we will see. In tennis now, we don't really have an off-season as you can play every week and tournaments like this in Dubai give players a chance to build towards their next target.