Caroline Wozniacki finding comfort zone in her game
MELBOURNE, Australia — Proof that Caroline Wozniacki rarely thinks about having finished the 2010 and 2011 season as the No. 1 player in the world was the reaction she reports having after hearing Andy Murray had finally achieved that similar milestone.
"Once in a while you’re like — Andy became No. 1, and you’re, like, 'That’s cool,' " Wozniacki said after posting a confident 6-1, 6-3 second-round win over Donna Vekic of Croatia at the Australian Open on Thursday.
"Then you’re like, 'Actually, I was No. 1. That’s pretty cool, too.' "
Every so often, however, the 20th-ranked Wozniacki admits she permits herself a brief moment to reflect on once holding court above all the rest for 67 weeks. For the most part, however, she believes reviewing the past will become more of a habit once she’s retired.
Wozniacki doesn’t dampen the memory by remembering that she used to receive constant questions as to how she was No. 1 without having won a Grand Slam title — her best Grand Slam results to date were finalist finishes at the 2009 and 2014 U.S. Opens. The answer was she played a great many tournaments and normally went deep into the field.
"You kind of go through it (in your mind) and realize it’s not easy, and there are so many great players out there fighting for that one spot and very few people have ever done it," she said, smiling.
A Dane by birth and passport, Wozniacki’s official residence is in Monaco, but she can also be found ensconced at any time in her New York apartment or trendy Miami digs.
"My main base is Monaco and that’s where I live most of the time," she said. "But it’s great to have (bases) in America because we play quite a few tournaments over there in the States. I train in Miami quite a bit in November, December. It’s nice to have those bases and feel at home."
At the moment there’s no apartment ownership in Melbourne, but she certainly seemed comfortable in her surroundings against Vekic.
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History was definitely on Wozniacki’s side on Wednesday. In 12 matches now played against Croatian women she’s never experienced a defeat. Her advantage over Vekic was simple: she kept her errors to a minimum — nine to 32 for Vekic in the 77-minute match.
"Generally, I think it was steady and played pretty decent," Wozniacki said. "Patches of my matches have been really good."
The next round will likely be tougher against ninth seed Johanna Konta, who ousted Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-4, 6-2. Konta joined the top 10 ranks at the end of last season.
Wozniacki’s tennis started to find it’s former range again in the latter part of last year, and along with that her rankings have been showing signs of recovery.
At the last Wimbledon she was unseeded for the first time at a Grand Slam since the 2008 Australian Open, partially a victim of losing two-and-a-half months earlier in the season with a right ankle injury.
By the U.S. Open she was ranked a paltry No. 74, but started to turn things around by reaching the semifinals, defeating 10th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and ninth seed Madison Keys before eventual champion Angelique Kerber stopped her run.
In the autumn she added two titles — Tokyo and Hong Kong — to her career total of 25, and by year’s end she was back up to a year-end ranking of No. 19. Since 2008, Wozniacki’s won at least one title every season.
Heading into this Australian Open, where her best result to date has been a semifinal showing in 2011, Wozniacki posted back-to-back quarterfinals at Auckland and Sydney.
"I played really well at the end of last year," Wozniacki said. "Probably some of the best tennis I have ever played, so that was great I’m just trying to find my footing this year. I feel like I have been playing some good tennis, and I’m feeling confident and good about this year."
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