Since my opponent has taken the center position (1,1), playing in a corner is strategically strong. By taking the top-left corner (0,0), I'm preventing a potential diagonal win for my opponent while setting up multiple potential winning paths for myself - along the top row, the left column, and the diagonal from top-left to bottom-right. This gives me the most flexibility for future moves and creates the potential for a fork (two simultaneous threats) later in the game.