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U.S. OPEN

September 6, 2016

Caroline Wozniacki

New York, NY, USA

C. WOZNIACKI/A. Sevastova

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to be back in the semifinals of New York?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It feels great. It's a tournament that I love. I love being here. Life playing in this incredible stadium.

So it's a great.

Q. It's always hard to keep your focus when maybe the opponent is injured or something happens. You seemed to do that very well tonight.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think I was just extra focused, because I saw her fall in that second game. She stood up, and I knew if she can still walk and still put weight on it and stuff then she's going to go obviously more for her shots and stuff like that.

But I thought, cool. I kept serving well and made her run. I'm pleased with how I managed to keep composed.

Q. Do you feel like you have home court advantage here being that you have your apartment sleeping in your apartment?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I definitely do feel like I have an advantage there. I sleep at home in my own bed, have home-cooked food, and have my friends and family here.

I also feel like I have a bit of a home court advantage when I step out on court. The crowd is always supporting me and is sweet to me. I think it helps I played so well here in the past. It's just a great combination.

Q. What have been your observations of Angie's improvement both in a physical way and mental way to get to the stage where she is now in late stages of nearly all the majors this season?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, you know, obviously I have seen the results and she's been doing great. I'm really happy for her. She's a hard worker.

But to be honest, when I was injured I didn't watch one match. I don't know. I have to watch tapes. Obviously I have had tough matches against her in the past. She's a great competitor. She looks fit, so it's going to be a tough one.

Yeah, I haven't really thought about it yet. I just kind of want to enjoy this moment first.

Q. How inspirational is that for you with all the Polish folks behind you?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, there is a lot of Polish people living here. Obviously there is a big fan base from Poland here.

Obviously I was born in Denmark and feel Danish, but I have some Polish blood in me. It's nice I can take the best of both worlds. Also I have a big part of the New York crowd with me. It's a great combination here.

Q. Cook any Polish food?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I haven't this week, actually. After the tournament. (Smiling.)

Q. You have known Angie for a very long time and you hung out when you were younger, et cetera. Does it surprise you she finds herself in world No. 2, Grand Slam champion, based off how you were when you were younger?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, I don't think so. We are similar in that we are both hard working. I think that, you know, hard work pays off. She's obviously very passionate. She loves what she's doing and it shows.

She's had a great year and I'm happy for her.

Q. This isn't a position you have been in quite often the last couple years. Does it make easier playing Angie, someone you know so well?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think it makes it easier. We will have to wait and she. She's had a great year so she will be tough to beat, but I'm going to do my best. That's all can I ask for myself.

Q. You said you didn't really want to look ahead and go on to the next match right away. You really wanted to enjoy the moment and looked very happy at that time. How does being able to stay in the moment and not go out of yourself, how has that helped you?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's really helped me. You know, there is always going to be uphill battles, and sometimes it's not going to go your way.

But I always believe if you work hard and you have the belief, and obviously you give it your all, eventually it will turn. It's been a great week or ten days for me. I'm really pleased.

I think the fact that I have friends and family here and I can just go home and relax and kind of unwind, it's really helped me to kind of just enjoy it and not look ahead and not stress and just show up. I'm like, Well, I get another day; I get another chance.

It's great.

Q. I think your father was talking to the Danish press. Thinking about retiring? Have you given much thought to that, plans on that sort of front?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I kind of -- I think I don't want to really talk about that now. When I feel ready to open up and say something then I will, but for now I'm just here to play this tournament.

Hopefully I have two more matches here. Yeah, it's really all I'm focused on right now.

Q. You have had to answer a number of questions about No. 1 or the No. 1 ranking. What is it about ranking? Angie is in a race for it. Is it something coveted on tour? You talked about ranking is just a number. Where does No. 1 fit into it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think when you're a little kid and you don't know what anything really means, everybody knows what it means to be the best in the world and everybody knows what it means to be No. 1.

So I think getting the No. 1 ranking is extremely special and it's something that everyone can kind of relate to and every little kid understands.

So obviously being No. 1 in the world is extremely special, and I'm sure Angie is feeling it, too. I'm sure that she is going to do everything to get that ranking. She's been playing really well this year.

It's something that very few people in the world has ever achieved. I mean, how crazy is it to say that you're the best in the world at something? Doesn't matter if tennis, football, being a lawyer, whatever it is. It's really special.

You know, for me, when I'm saying ranking is just a number, I have been No. 1. I have been there for two year years. That is something I'm extremely proud of.

But right now, for me, being 70-something, it's not really -- you know, it doesn't really mean much to me. I still believe and feel like I'm one of the top players and grinding my way back, so that's why I'm saying for me right now the ranking is just a number: because I'm not No. 1 and there is a long way for me right now to get back to No. 1.

But I'm doing my best to just play my best tennis and have fun with it. It's really all that I can do right now.

Q. Would it be strange to see that number with not Serena Williams' name next to it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah. I mean, she's held that ranking for so long. Obviously, I think, it's sad she's only played eight tournaments from this time last year. She's such an unbelievable and inspiring player. Obviously being so close with her, just it's special. She's just a special athlete. You know, it's incredible what she's achieved. It's something that probably very few - or it will take a long time before someone else gets to that level.

Q. How many weeks a year do you spend at your Manhattan place and where you train?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I mean, we travel so much, so I don't get to spend as much time here as I want.

But when I'm here lately I have been training at the McEnroe Academy on Randall's Island. Sometimes I go to the Westside Highway; it's public courts. They usually let me in and let me in and train for as long as I want. I kind of like being there, because I feel like a proper New Yorker.

Q. There is a queue to get on to those courts. Have you waited?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I actually haven't waited because people have been so sweet that they've let me in.

Q. That's fair.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: But if I had to wait, I would. What can I do? I have to follow the rules, right?

Q. Your serve has been particularly reliable for you over the course of the tournament. That hasn't always been the case in the past. Can you talk about the evolution of that shot? What is kind of the specific work that you have put into it to make it a shot that you can rely on here?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It's been something that I have worked on for the last 20 years. It's something that I have spent a lot of time on, and it's something that maybe doesn't come -- the return comes more natural than the serve, but I have been working really hard on it.

It's been great at periods in my career and then it's been really bad in periods where I am like, I don't know why the timing isn't there. It's been good again, so it's kind of on and off.

When it's on, I'm just praying that it's going to stay on for a while. I don't know.

Q. Has it been on here? Would you consider this on?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I think it's been a good two weeks. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Q. You spoke a moment ago about belief and enjoyment and about your two weeks as No. 1 player in the world. How do those things compare now with the belief and enjoyment when you were the No. 1 player?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's much different. I'm older. I have been through everything. Right now I'm happy every time I get to play on a big court.

It's special, you know. Like obviously being injured and being away from the game you kind of put things in perspective. You're like, I could get injured again tomorrow and maybe I won't have another shot out there.

I think I'm enjoying it much more now than back I was then. Back then I was just trying and grinding for staying at the top of the rankings for as long as possible, and obviously just winning every match.

Now obviously I want to win every match, but it's different. I'm not the favorite in most of my matches anymore, or on paper at least. I'm just going in there as the underdog and going out doing my thing.

Q. How does that increased enjoyment affect your belief as a player?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think I have always had the belief. The belief hasn't changed. I just think I'm enjoying it now more than I was in the past.

I think it's less stressful. It's more going out and having fun.

Q. There was a picture on Twitter of the vacation you took with Angie and the Radwanskas, like, years ago.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I look pretty round in that picture, actually. I think we all did.

Q. You were at a different stage in your lives. But everybody grows up, and on the tour everybody becomes more professional, has their own teams. Can you look back on that kind of time and how different it was and maybe if you have any stories to share about that vacation with Angie?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Actually, I don't think it's that different. We would still go on vacations, but the problem is like, you know, Aga is getting married, so then all of a sudden we're like, We just want a girls trip, but it's tough when everyone has their own thing.

But even last year Angie and I were talking. I was like, Part of my offseason I will be in New York. I'll be somewhere else. If you want to join, you're more than welcome.

So it's not like we are separated, but it's like sometimes like we have different priorities or there is just a little bit more busy now. But, yeah, I think still we hang out and we have coffees and sit and talk and have a good time.

I think the great thing about our little group of people is that we have kind of hung out together for years and years now, and doesn't matter who is No. 1 or who is lower ranked or who is beating who, we always have that little clique, and it's nice to be able to just hang out and have a nice little conversation and a good laugh.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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