Wang, 28, had struggled to believe that she belonged in the top echelon of the sport she has played professionally for roughly a dozen years, even after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 12 last year.

“When she was talking about the girls two spots in front of her, she was talking like they were not from the same world,” said Thomas Drouet, Wang’s coach. “I’m sure she believes now, ‘Yes, I am one of them.’”

Wang’s sights are now set on the ultimate prizes in tennis. She dreams of becoming the second Chinese woman to win a Grand Slam title, following Li Na, who won the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open.

Li’s trailblazing led the WTA to invest heavily in expanding the tour throughout China, which has allowed Wang to aim for big goals close to home. Wang is based in Shenzhen, site of the WTA year-end championships for the tour’s top eight for the next nine years, which awards over $4 million to the champion.

“Every player, they want to be top 10 and play finals — and it’s really big money,” she said.

Nicknamed “Q,” Wang already earns plenty in endorsements in China, where she has been known more for her bubbly personality and photogenic appearance than for her prowess on the court. She has speculated that officials with China’s tennis federation were first drawn to her because she was pretty, then realized she was actually pretty good at tennis, too.