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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2018

Caroline Wozniacki

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

C. WOZNIACKI/C. Suarez Navarro

6-0, 6-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Got a little tricky in the second set. What did you do to pull away ultimately?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I think she stepped it up a little bit as well, took the ball earlier, managed to push me back. I was unlucky not to get that match point I had to close off the second set. That's a little frustrating.

I just had to get myself together, take a deep breath, then try to stay close to the baseline in the third set. I felt like I had a little bit more energy than she did in the end.

Q. Your second semi. How does it feel to be back here?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It feels great to be back here in the semifinals. It's been a few years. Last time I was in the semifinals here, I had match points against Li Na. I lost it. That's still haunting me till this day. So I'm hoping for a different result this time.

Q. You saved match points to get to this point. There's a universal balance potentially happening there.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I think that's also one thing that kind of helped me today resetting into the third set. I was like, You know what, I shouldn't really be here. I still have the chance to play myself into the semifinals. Just stay positive and go for it. That's really what I was thinking.

Q. It has that effect, that match point save in the second round?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It definitely does, yeah. That was a crazy comeback. Now everything that I do is just a plus.

Q. What do you remember most about that Li Na match?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I remember serving for it at 5-4 in the second set. I remember being up 3-1 in the second set, serving with the sun. That was very difficult. Maybe if I had been on the other side of the court, it would have been different, kind of had a bigger lead. But I didn't.

I remember very well that match. I usually forget matches and I don't remember playing certain people. I don't remember a lot of things, but that one is one that I remember very well.

I went back on the practice court. I never do that after going far in a tournament and losing after a tough battle. I usually take a day off the next day. I went back and practiced. Just needed to get some frustration out.

I went on a roll after that and won a bunch of tournaments in a row. At the same time it was still that one match that was still hurting.

Q. Is it fair to say it stuck with you more than almost any other match in your career?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Definitely. That's one that really hurt. I've lost from match points up and won from match points down before. That one was a special one.

Q. Do you think the tournament expects too much of players by forcing them to go out on court so late? Here you are sitting here in a press conference at 2:30 a.m., have a Grand Slam semifinal to prepare for.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, I have a day off tomorrow. I can sleep in, reset. I'm not really too worried.

Q. When you're on the court, is there any difference in playing later at night or are you just focused on the match?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I prefer to play later at night than 11 a.m. I like to sleep in. I woke up at 10:30 today. I just kind of was chilling all day.

It's different, of course, to play in the morning or at night. I think every player is different. Every player prefers different things.

Q. Would you have preferred to play the first night instead of the second night?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes, I think everyone prefers to play at 7:00, that's for sure. You don't have a men's match that can go three sets or five sets. It's a lot of waiting.

I won today. I'm going to take it. We could have waited a lot longer. Yeah, I could also have finished it off in two sets and we would have been here an hour ago, so...

Q. How different is it waiting after a best-of-five match at a slam?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's different because you have know idea when you warm up and prepare. You warm up as if they play three sets, an hour and a half, that's your mentality. Now it's knowing they could go five hours. Normally when you wait around, you know, They're in the third set now, it's close to getting ready to play. Here you don't know.

But you know what, it's even for everyone. Everyone kind of knows that it's like that. Sometimes I've been in a Grand Slam playing after three men's matches, and there's no 'not before' times. That's when it gets tricky. You have no idea when to warm up.

Q. You play Elise Mertens in the semifinal. Do you remember anything from the match with her last year?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I remember playing her in Bastad. She's a great player, has been having a great year so far. She's very talented, obviously had a very good tournament this week. It's going to be very difficult. But I'm excited for the challenge and excited for playing the semifinals.

Q. What will be the key?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I have to serve well, return well, stay aggressive, make her move.

Q. What do young players have to do to get on your radar? Is it winning a title? Pulling off the big win?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it depends because not always do I really pay attention to the results on different sides of the draws. Sometimes I don't really pay attention to the results in tournaments. Sometimes it just has to be you playing them. You're like, Oh, wow, they're playing well, they have a presence.

Sometimes it is, Wow, who is this player who has beaten someone really good? They must be doing something right. Then you pay attention to them.

It really depends. Sometimes it's one or the other.

Q. Is there one that resonates with you more? Is it playing the person?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think playing them, at least you know what they do well and why they're where they are. Sometimes they kind of fly under the radar and all of a sudden you're playing them. You're like, Oh, wow, I've never heard of them before. They've beaten a good player. You play them, they don't hurt my game.

I think playing them, you kind of get a good feel for each player and how they play against you 'cause it's different from player to player.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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