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DONGFENG MOTOR WUHAN OPEN

September 29, 2015

Caroline Wozniacki

WUHAN, CHINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk about the third set. And what is your next plan?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I'm heading to Beijing. That's going to be the last tournament here in Asia.
I started feeling dizzy already in the second set and I just tried to push through it. Yeah, it just wasn't enough. I tried my best, but it wasn't good enough.

Q. You didn't look like you were feeling well in the second set. Was it a leg injury?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I think it's worse when you feel dizzy and you don't really feel like you can play long rallies, are short of breath and, yeah, not feeling great. Then the whole body just starts breaking down.
But I tried to push through it. You know, it was close, but not good enough.

Q. Is the frustration just from losing this specific match from a micro level or is there a broader frustration of the niggles here and there, illnesses and things like that kind of derailing your season?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it's just frustrating. You feel like you work hard, you feel ready, then something bothers you, then this happens. It's annoying, but it's part of the game.
I'm just going to keep pushing. Eventually it's going to turn.

Q. Did you feel okay when you woke up this morning? Did it come in the middle of the match? Was something going on before?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I felt all right actually this morning, but I didn't push myself. In the first set I felt it coming, then in the second set I just started not being able to run for long. That's not normal for me. Normally I can run for days.
I'm out here and I'm struggling to breathe and see. When I'm serving, I'm struggling to see the ball, yeah.

Q. The doctor came out and took your temperature. Did you have a fever or anything else?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No. She told me I was okay to play. If I had a fever, I wouldn't play. So that was good. She just said, See how you feel, it's your choice.

Q. Talk about Anna Karolina's game a little bit. What did you think you could exploit out there?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: You know, she's a good runner. She runs a lot of balls down. She's using the angles very well. You know, just made me play that extra ball.
Normally I don't mind that. I like that. But today the longer the rally, I was struggling even for the next point. I guess now I understand how the opponents feel when I do that to them. It's not a nice feeling.
Yeah, I mean, she played smart out there.

Q. Do you think it can also come from the fact that it's the end of the season, the body is tired, or is it bad luck that you caught something?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Maybe. I don't know. It's probably a combination of everything.

Q. Talk a little bit about Stacey Allaster, her decision to step down, being a player under her tenure, what her legacy will be.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I mean, now I've played so long that I remember Larry Scott, when he was the CEO, and now Stacey.
I think Stacey was great. She did a lot of things for us. Raised prize money. I think she'll be remembered for some good things. You know, obviously no one expected her to step down. We won't really even have a chance to see her before she stops.
But, you know, it's her choice and her decision. I understand why she does it. She wants to spend more time at home with her family and it's totally understandable.

Q. Slightly off topic. Do you remember the first time that you came to China?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think so (laughter).

Q. Can you describe it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think I played Beijing actually when it was still like the old courts. I don't know if it was the first time I was in China that I won the doubles tournament in Beijing. I don't know.
But I remember a lot of good things. I remember there was quite a nice crowd. I was surprised how many people knew me already even though I was just a young and up‑comer.
Yeah, it's definitely different from Europe. It's a different culture. But I think over the years you kind of grow to like it. It's nice. Li Na has always been one of my close friends. Unfortunately I'm not here long enough to kind of spend time with her. Hopefully next time I'm here, she'll show me around.

Q. On the topic of friendships and things like that on tour. Curious, over the course of your career, how has that changed your perspective? I know you get asked this quite a bit. How has that changed in the locker room from your perspective in terms of how collegial it is on a whole and maybe just for yourself?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think in general when I came on tour, first of all, the girls that were playing were very nice to me from the start. I practiced with a lot of the girls. I think I earned my respect that way, as well. They saw I was young, but playing well.
I think there was a lot of young and up‑comers from the juniors. There were 10 of us maybe that broke through at the same time. It was nice to have that. We always had that bond in the juniors. We just kind of continued that once we got on tour.
So I think it's nice. Many of us have known each other for 18, 19 years. It's crazy.

Q. I was going to ask about the junior relationships. Do you think those friendships that you forged from those younger days are stronger or more important, or are they more difficult to maintain over time?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it really depends on the people. For example, Aga and I have been friends. I mean, I played her the first time when I was like 12 or something. It's been a lot of years. I've known her probably since I was seven or eight maybe. We played like some club championships. So it's been a long while.
I think it's not so much about how long you know the people. Sometimes you just bond. Someone you've known someone for a year, you can have a closer bond to them than someone you've known for 10. At the same time I appreciate a lot of friendships that I have, for example, Aga, Daniela Hantuchova, those that I've spent a lot of time with.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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