No.1 Caroline Wozniacki: “If I don’t have a weapon, then what do the others have?”

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Wilson Blade 9

Caroline Wozniacki can pride herself on more than her tennis results – this sharp answer regarding what else than her No.1 ranking deserves special attention.

Q. Do you think it’s unfair when people criticize you or when people talk your game and they say, She gets lots of balls back, but she hasn’t got a big weapon? You’ve got to No. 1 in the world. Do you think that’s unfair when you hear people say that?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, well, if I don’t have a weapon, then what do the others have? Since I’m No. 1, I must do something right. I think there’re not actually criticizing me. I think the other players should be offended.

En route to the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships title, Wozniacki reclaimed her No.1 ranking, only briefly occupied by Kim Clijsters (for seven days, in particular), and will reign the position for at least another four weeks.

Therefore, the 20-year-old Dane is or will have been No. 1 longer than Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters, Jelena Jankovic, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Venus Williams and Evonne Goolagong. Impressive! Especially when you see it like this on paper. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

17 COMMENTS

  1. This is an excellent reply from Caroline.
    I have always liked Wozniacki and have always supported her. I think she has a great fighting spirit and determination, excellent sportsmanship, and seems to genuinely enjoy going out on court, win or lose. I agree that she must be doing something right because even Grand Slam Champions like Ana Ivanovic (who I do support) were unable to show the consistency of a true #1.
    I’m sure Caroline can win a Grand Slam, and her performance in the Dubai tournament shows that she’s making the changes necessary to win one. It is just a matter of time. But for now, I think that besides her, Kim is the only other person truly worthy of the #1 ranking, so if Kim is not playing many tournaments, Caroline is deserving of the #1 ranking.

  2. I saw dubai’s party’s photos and I realize that caroline has an horrible sense of fashion! She wears horribles clothes and I’m secure that even If they’re uggly are expensive jaja.. Also she looks unconfortable wearing that!
    On court she wears pretty clothes only because she can’t selected them..
    I know that this is not an importan comment.. but I want to know what you..visitors of this blog, think..
    kisses

  3. @TennisxLovex3: 100% agree. She is good, she is cool, and she played outstanding tennis last week where everybody in the top 20 was there, except Clijsters.

    I like Clijsters but I’m a bigger fan of Wozniacki for everything said in this article. I think that Kim will end up paying negatively her strategy, like being surprisingly upset at a first round. Anyway, As she has decided to play only the slams, so Caroline fully deserves #1.

    Last, Wozniacki has real chances to win Roland Garros this year. She has the fit, she can defend, and as shown in Dubai, she can move forward and not stay one meter behind the baseline. I don’t think that she can win Wimbledon for the moment, especially with her current volley style. She uses a forehand grip for forehand volley and she does backend volley with two hands by slicing the ball. Horrible! She needs a lesson from Stefan Edberg. 😉

  4. @Brenda: totally agree too! I’m a guy and I have very little (not to say zero) sense of fashion but what a catastrophic blue dress for Wozniacki!

    At the same time, did you notice Victoria Azarenka? Beautiful dress with a Louis Vuitton purple shawl. It sounded very good to me. She twitted about it. BTW, I read that Victoria’s mum was working in the fashion industry and Victoria has something like hundred of shoes at home. She is a real fashion victim! Everything explained.

    Only good news is that Victoria and Caroline are very good friends and they tweet doing shopping together. Hopefully, Victoria can advise Caroline picking up her next party dress. 😉

  5. Gregoire Gentil caroline hasn’t got the confidence to win a slam..she could reach AO final but she felt afraid on a match point!
    I think that she’s a better n1 than Safina and Jankovic that also became n1 without winning a slam, but it’s going to be very very difficult to she to win a slam.. she doesn’t have the game to win one.. there’re so many matches and she also doesn’t have the head of a grand slam winner..It’s difficult also because kim and serena are real champions that play every slam with the head and the game..
    Like i said other times I think that clijsters for me is the number one and for everybody who understand tennis… I’m still waiting for serena’s comeback..without her women tennis is a little bit boried
    PD: SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH..IN MARCH I WILL DO A COURSE OF IT JAJA

  6. Let’s be real- the girl doesn’t have THE weapons- the serve, especially the forehand, the backhand is good, but still… She wins the matches ’cause the players today simply don’t have any variety in their game, all they do is hit balls flat and hard from one side to another, and Caroline is a smart girl and she knows how to read the game and return the ball correctly, and wait for opponent’s mistake which very often happens. Caroline just doesn’t hit the ball so hard, attacking game would make her an average player, while her defense makes her no.1. I don’t think this game will bring her Slams or wins against the greatest, but right now it makes her the most consistent on Tour.

  7. Interesting thought though I disagree. The first set against Kuznetsova was pretty interesting: she was inside the court all the time and she was literally asphyxiating Svetlana who is very offensive player. As a reminder, Svetlena has two slam trophies at home and she didn’t get them on luck.

  8. Totally agree with you Mirjana, caroline hits 4/5 winners for match! A player like she isn’t a n1!
    She’s a grat top10 player..even a top5! I think that the only great players at top 10 are kim, sam, venus and francesca..

  9. @Mirjana: “She wins the matches ’cause the players today simply don’t have any variety in their game” Pretty right!

    There was a very recent interview of Nathalie Tauziat (ex #2 world tennis player, finalist at Wimbledon, very smart woman) explaining that women tennis is only about fitness and not anymore about the technics, and a player who would come with a great variety of game would have the chance to take it all. But she points out that there is no more good coaching to do that. Wozniacki’s dad is a football player and Caroline is doing jogging every morning – like if she were a football player… Fitness, fitness, fitness. But it paid off last week!

  10. I want caroline to win a slam, but she doesn’t!
    In the moment hat she won a slam, she will feel like a n1..at the moment she feels like a lucky tennis player who is in the top on the ranking only because of the system of points of the wta!

  11. Yeah, today it seems most of the girls just don’t understand this game. They don’t know when or even how to slice, drop shot or volley, and plenty not even to serve!:( Tennis is not just about hitting hard. Their coaches are the one to blame- they don’t teach girls to think anymore, and not just in this sport. It seems they ignore probably the most important thing- mental strenght. We’ve seen so many good or great players choke under pressure. Also, I find it just ridiculous and quit embaressing that women tennis players are allowed coaching on court. And that’s one of the reasons Caro’s failure at slams- out there there’s no dad to call when things go bad. I’m still hoping to someday see a player with real power and technique, ’cause a player like that would definitely take it all.

  12. Woow,she has definitely improved her interviewing techniques. Kangaroo helps 🙂
    I think the attitude of journalists is just really unprofessional these days. They all seem to want to provoke her. Good for her that she doesn’t give in.

  13. I think Wozniacki has got many weapons, actually. Precision, patience, anticipation – those are all very valuable weapons to have and she has made the most of it. When I sometimes watch her matches I always hear how her opponents are so so much better and the watch them spray shots behind lines or into the net.
    This year at AO Li Na was praised when she defeated Woz and Woz laughed at because she lost againg. And what happened afterwards? Li with her so great game lost to Kim 😛
    So, her question is the right one. Because if she has nothing then others should just go home…

  14. Surely Caroline should be praised for getting to number one if she has no big weapons.

    It must mean her all round game is brilliant. No relying on a big serve to get her out of trouble like Serena does so many times.

  15. I still think that Kim is a better No.1, but if she’s not earning enough points and playing as much as she should, than Wozniacki is the next best. And the way she answered the provoking journalists is just awesome. Also, I don’t see Wozniacki as mentally weak. In some situations when I expected her to crumble, she actually showed no fear, unlike Safina who often fell to her nerves. As for fashion, Caroline is yet to beat her belly dancer dress from the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open.

    http://gototennis.com/2010/03/23/photos-sony-ericsson-open-miami-players-party/

  16. That dress was really horrible! As the dresses she used to wore! I dont´t know what she was thinking at the moment that decided to wore that uggly thing!!

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