Zurich: Former world number one Martina Hingis hopes to add to her tally of five Grand Slam singles titles following her surprise decision to return to the professional game.

Hingis says she is ready to challenge the world’s best players, despite a three-year absence caused by a string of foot, heel and ankle problems.

“When you’ve been number one for four years, that’s all you want, to compete with the best and possibly win grand slams,” the 25-year-old said in an interview on Saturday.

“That’s natural and the most normal thing for me.”

The Swiss, who announced her surprise comeback last week, said she had no specific targets for next year and has not yet finalised exactly where and when she will make her competitive return.

Her manager Mario Widmer had earlier told reporters Hingis would “in all probability” compete at one of the Australian tournaments in January before her expected appearance at the Australian Open later that month.

“I don’t want to talk about goals because I’m a very realistic person and don’t want to live in a dream world,” Hingis said.

“I would love to be world number one again, but I can only see if that’s possible once I start competing again.”

Despite three years on the sidelines, Hingis will need little introduction to her biggest rivals once the new season starts.

Reassuringly perhaps for Hingis, the next generation of women’s tennis players are yet to make much of an impact in the sport’s upper reaches. Of the current top 10, only Russia’s Maria Sharapova is yet to face the Swiss.