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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 15, 2014Caroline WozniackiCINCINNATI, OHIO C. WOZNIACKI/A. Radwanska THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Two big breaks to end the match. In particular, you broke her as she tried to stay alive in the first set, and then to get a 2‑Love lead in the second set. Take us through the end of first set and first part of the second. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I mean, I think I made some good returns there in the end of the first set and kind of got the first few points and managed to close it off. We know each other's games so well. I know where she likes to serve. Whenever it gets close, I kind of know her favorite spots. I know obviously that we're going to have long rallies out there. So I just kept grinding and going for it as well. In the end she tried to be more aggressive and go more for the lines, and it was important for me just to keep my head cool and kind of keep going and keep staying in there. I was up 2‑nil in the second set, and all of a sudden it turns around and 3‑2 for her. But we got some new balls there in the middle of the second set and I started to serve better. Kind of got some more pop on the serve. Made a few aces. Felt more comfortable. Yeah. Q. You called for your coach in the second set. What goes through your mind before you make that decision, and what are you hoping to get from those interactions? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I went from 2‑Love up to 2‑3 down. I kind of just felt like she was starting to put the pressure on me. She started to take the ball early, and I went a little bit far from behind the baseline. Just wanted a few pointers. Maybe there were a few things from the outside he could see that I couldn't really see on the inside. Q. You face Serena next in the semifinals. You just played her in Canada. What's that like going against her knowing that you guys have gotten really close in the last couple months, even more so off the court? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, we've always been close, so that doesn't really matter. Once we're on the court we both want to win. We're both fighters. She beat me last week 7‑5 in the third, which I would like it get my revenge on, but it's going to be tough. Obviously she's played her way into the tournament. She has played really well the last few matches. It's not going to be easy. I'm excited for the challenge. I really need to play up to my best tennis to have chance to win. Q. Do you feel yourself playing much better over the past previous 12 months now? You had a couple big results. Do you feel like that much different, better? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I feel great. I feel good. I feel like my body is in a place where it wants to be. My head is where I want to be. I feel very comfortable on the court. Even today, you know, I got quite a few‑‑ I ran a few balls down that I thought, There is no chance I'm going to make that. I still went for it and somehow got myself back into the rally. And also the other way around. We both got some great gets, and just getting the one ball back can make a difference. Q. Is your marathon training speeding you up at all? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I definitely think it's helping me. I felt pretty fast out there. I was sometimes impressed with my own speed and gets out there. At the same time it was quite frustrating, because I felt like I had won the point a few times and all of a sudden she is gets it back. I'm like, Are you serious? Really? In my head I'm thinking, It must be quite frustrating playing against me as well. Must be the same feeling she has. Q. It's very ironic that in this particular quarter, you, Aga, Sabine, and Angie, all four with Polish lineage. Thoughts on how that came to be. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I didn't think about it. I never look at the draw. Just kind of play one match at a time. Yeah, I guess we were all in the same quarter. Yeah, just glad to be through. Q. Going off the other question, we're sometimes so tied to results. Wins and losses are kind of a gauge of where you are. Do you think that right now as well as you're playing, has there ever been a point over the last year that you were playing this well but the results weren't coming maybe? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I think it always goes up and down. I always play well at this part of the year. I always feel like I do pretty well now leading up to the US Open and the US Open. So obviously it's been tough draws for me these couple weeks because, you know, being outside of the top eight seeds you kind of have to play the higher seeds early. But at the same time, it's been a good challenge and been working out well for me. I feel like I'm really ready for the US Open now. I've gotten a lot of matches in. I'm playing well, and definitely this week has given me a lot of confidence. Of all the tournaments here in the U.S., Cincinnati is probably the tournament where I have done the least well. I think best results are quarterfinals. So it's nice to take that extra step. We'll see tomorrow what will happen. Q. You made your professional debut here nine years ago. When you come back, do you reminisce about that time? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it's crazy. I can't believe it's nine years ago. Makes me feel really, really old. But I do remember it as clearly as if it was yesterday that I played my first match. I was really nervous. I was playing Patty Schnyder in first round and she was 10 in the world, she was the No. 1 seed, and I got a beating 6‑3, 6‑nil. I didn't like her left‑handed kick serve. I remember getting off that court and thinking, You know what? Welcome to the WTA Tour. This is not going to be easy. But here I am nine years later and in the semis. A lot of the things have happened since then. It's exciting. You never know what's going to happen. This has been a fun journey so far. Q. Last night you got ice cream from fan. Today do you have to get Aga an ice cream? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: She still owes me an ice cream, by the way. (Smiling.) I guess we're equal now because we always say that whoever wins the match is usually paying for dinner whenever we go next time. I guess she's paying for dessert and I'm paying for dinner. Q. Pretty tough tiebreak to close the match out. Anything in particular that jumped out at you in that breaker? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I was just thinking, Get first serves in. I was serving really well in the end of that second set. I was like, It would be nice to get some free points. That just did not happen. So I knew that I just had to try and stay aggressive. Needed to try and attack her second serve if there was any that came. At the same time I didn't want to make any stupid mistakes, so I was kind of trying to find that balance. I guess I was a little bit lucky at a few of the points, but at the same time I was happy to just keep pushing her around the court and kind of making her uncomfortable. Q. What are the keys to playing Serena? You've beaten her in close matches and you have had not close matches. What's worked for you? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Definitely serving and returning well. Not letting her dictate too much and step into the court too much. Kind of trying to get her mind behind the baseline. But the serve is definitely key. Q. How much attention, if any, do you pay to your world ranking? Is that something you notice at all? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, no, I don't. The other day Boris Becker asked me, What's your ranking? I said, I don't know, I think 13 or 14. My dad was like, You're actually 12. I'm like, oh, I guess I'm 12. I actually don't really pay attention. I just play. In the end day, if I play well the ranking will be there. This week the most important was to be in the top eight to get a bye. I knew I wasn't there, so then it really didn't matter. Q. Did you worry about that seeding for draws, who you might face third round, fourth round? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Not really. I mean, either way, if I'm No. 8 or No. 9‑‑ you know, if I'm No. 8 I'll have to play No. 9 or 10. Either way we're going to play each other if we reach that far. There are no easy matches nowadays. You have to be ready from the first match. Nothing is given freely. I just play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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