	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 22, 2018

Piotr Wozniacki

Kallang, Singapore

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Caroline was pretty positive, despite the result yesterday. She felt there were a lot of good things she could take out of that match. I'm just interested in your perspective.
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: From my side some coach, I saw Caroline tomorrow big problem with timing with balls. I speak like for -- I come in first set, I talking, Caroline, concentration only with balls. I can see you were ready, but timing is no good. General, this match yesterday some Caroline play, can play better. But Pliskova play also solid, very solid. Is not for this day for win this match, but I hope that Caroline can do good job next two matches.

Q. How hard is it for you as her father to separate being a dad and being a coach?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: Obviously to you no easy, no easy. Is the same time that I practice with Caroline, I talking on tactics thing. And coming just before match, coming big stress, this is typical. This is important also that stress coming in the same moment.

So this is no easy, talking to your daughter or to your players. So, yeah, I recommend that to everybody, no good this way.

Q. When Caroline start her career, would you have imagined this kind of successful career for her?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: No. Typical from parents that you do it outside from your house. Doesn't matter. This is football, piano, tennis, doesn't matter what kind things. So parents, we have this problem today, yeah? We can sit home with computer or play four, five hours.

This time I saw it as one thing is good from parents' side that we can take son and Caroline outside from house or do the same things. We play football, we play tennis, we volleyball or we play minigolf, swimming, or everything. So no chance that this time I can say, Wow, Caroline can stay No. 1 in world. I talking this way to Caroline. This is important from mental aspect. I speak with Caroline, You can stay one day No. 1 players in world. You can win Grand Slam. Or, Patrik, you can play Liverpool. What today? Today, yes, Caroline win Grand Slams last year, or this year. But my son go with T-shirts with Manchester United. No accept from family (smiling).

Q. You have coached against Kiki Bertens a couple of times. Can you talk about her game and what you think of her participation here?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: I will see that, maybe this is no good that see this way, but Kiki is lucky at this coach coming to Kiki. How many years they working now? Two years or three years?

This guy, I respect him very high for -- Kiki is very good player. I like this ways of play. Kiki play now more this way, still understand what way can play. Play more tactics, go not only boom-boom or play only high ball but play different way.

So this is I'm very happy that we have this kind of players. This is very important for everybody else, for country and for Kiki. This guy, I respect him. We speak sometimes, but you still understand we speak on many things but no straight with these things working on players, what is important that Kiki make results, no kind of thing.

Q. Last year you and Caroline were here with Sascha. I was curious how he helped the team and how things were different after he left heading into Australia?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: For me, this is very, very important. One thing that you see, Sascha this time I deal with him some hitting partner. Sascha working with Serena so many years. After this working with Vika Azarenka. So we speak on some hitting partner. This is very important that we see also to everybody coaches. Is very important one working your team.

For Caroline's team, this is no only coach, father or mother, but this is different people pass on good job, yeah? So this is important for me or for Caroline that we change hitting partner. No for this guy no good or -- Sascha is very nice person. I talking to him, You have huge experience with best players in world. So maybe good for you. Good idea that you take one players or do it from some coach, no some hitting partner. You have this experience. You can go. Or we can see today Sascha is again next year with Osaka, fantastic year for Osaka, for him, some coach.

But in my team, Caroline's team, Sascha today may be again hitting partner, but for players important that you change hitting partner. If you play so many hours with one, so after this you understand ball coming here, coming here. So you level also coming down.

So we make this just after Singapore that better for you that you go this way or be looking maybe for different one, yeah? So today we have one guy, play last year professional tennis players, Michal Przysiezny. We speak with him. This guy coming to us just before Wimbledon, yeah. So maybe next year this guy working little with us, or after this we change again.

Q. I feel like in the past you have maybe given some interviews feeling you'd like to maybe travel less in years past? What has kept you going, maintaining the same schedule as Caroline all these years?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: Many times I thinking on this thing, that you can see, for example, four years ago I take coach some working with Jankovic. I take Thomas Hogstedt and two, three different coaches.

For my idea also maybe good for Caroline that we change team, coming new impulse to very heavy job. For woman this is very, very heavy. For woman, different bodies than men. But guys working sometimes more at men's.

So for me, importance and parents or some coach and I stay with Caroline so many years, we change it with this, coming new impulse, blah, blah, blah. But today is too late. Caroline talking to me, Father, if you stop, I stop. So we have only one house. So what? Closed doors? I no chance I get in there (smiling).

So today we see no chance that -- so Caroline can say we stop today, so we stop today. So this is the situation.

So again, we see to everybody, I can see everybody is young. (Indiscernible.) You can support, you can do it many things, but please no go in some father some coach or mother some coach. This is no good story.

Q. You have been coaching obviously with Caroline for a long time, but at least the last ten years on the tour. How has the tour changed in your opinion from where you sit?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: Wow. The change everything. We see ten years ago or today this is, wow, I see so much serious. We looking for many winners. This time coming Serena winners. They change tennis, woman tennis. We can see today, no chance this time -- I saw tennis many years ago, so Navratilova play and many these old styles play.

But tennis more techniques, fun, you watching this, you go to that, or see everything. But also racquets are difference, strings different, everything different. Today, come on. It takes some automat machine, everything working. You take racquets, I can play. I can play power, yeah? Look, my muscle, no muscle, but I can play power.

So this is huge difference or plus be working, working, working. This time we play three, four days of practice, three, four days every week. Today they practice three, minimum three times every day, guys. So this is different story.

Plus I talking only from woman's side. Looking today, doesn't matter what kind discipline we take. We take, for example, golf. Woman, maybe 20,000, 30,000 they can win that they play or win big tournament. If we take here, very popular, maybe badminton, best one, yeah? They play maybe one billion people badminton in Asia, yeah? How much can make, 15,000? But you take Formula 1. Zero woman. We take football, soccer, men's, come on, big stars, Hollywood. Woman?

So this is we see only one spot. This spot coming here, this is tennis, prestige for women, money for woman, the same as for men, more, more every day. Coming for Osaka, from one day to second day. Wow, played good, strong, smile, represent two countries, yes? Maybe three. Father is from Caribbean, yeah, but live U.S. Mother is from Japan. Look today. This is Japanese place, I come in from this site. But this is good. This is very good for woman, from woman's side.

This sport today you're talking ten years ago or today, huge difference, huge difference. For me this is fantastic. I can see this thing. I can see from inside or from outside.

Q. As Caroline's father and coach, can you share if you have observed how she's changed since winning the Australian Open? Because you would have been there when she was trying all those times before and didn't make it. So after winning that, have you observed any changes in her, like maybe she walks differently or she plays tournaments, less stress, anything like that?
PIOTR WOZNIACKI: If I will see this is less stress, if I will see anything positive, I will see, guys, this is Hollywood, but this is no Hollywood. This is Singapore. The same stress, doesn't matter that Caroline win last year. Yeah, huge thing, beat everybody. Take trophy. Masters, win Singapore. Just after win, Australian, wow. Parents is proud, father is happy, everything.

But next day, they coming to practice court with Caroline. So Caroline no accept that father take two beer more maybe after this trophy or this. This is discipline. Talking before, no, to you guys there is three important things to woman tennis. One is discipline. Second thing is discipline. And third is also discipline.

No this, no chance you can do these things here. No chance will be coming or speak with them. No discipline to you guys, so you have no respect for them. They have no respect for you guys.

So this is a true story. The same here. My language is so bad. But today I speak with my son two hours before, only English, so I hope that they understand me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297