When my opponent takes the center position (1,1), playing in a corner is strategically strong. I'm choosing the top-left corner (0,0) because:
1. It establishes a potential diagonal winning path through 0,0 → 1,1 → 2,2
2. It also creates opportunities for winning along the top row and leftmost column
3. Corner plays are generally stronger than edge plays when responding to a center move
4. All corners are equivalent at this stage due to the symmetry of the board