	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

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 25, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

C. WOZNIACKI/F. Schiavone
3-6, 6-3, 6-3

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: First of all, I want to thank you for giving me this kangaroo yesterday. I got it from one of the media. I know there was a lot of requests for me to have a picture with the kangaroo, so here it is.
Now I'm actually ready to fight just in case it would actually attack me, so I have the gloves on. (Smiling.) It looks like it's feeling pretty well today, so it's okay.

Q. Have you given it a name yet?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. Skippy. Fluffy.

Q. Is that your first pet?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: This one? Yeah, I got this one yesterday, and I'm very pleased about it. I think it's very calm and it's not going to hurt me, so I took the gloves off already.

Q. Congratulations, even if you gave a big pain to the Italian public. What did you think in your mind when you were down 6-3, 3-1?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, it was very difficult. Francesca was playing well. You know, it was tough for me to get the right rhythm, and I was making a little bit of mistakes on the important points.
She was playing really well. I just thought, Take one ball at time and don't give up. If you get the chance, you need to take it now, otherwise it's going to be too late.

Q. She made four presents on the sixth game. 3-2 she missed an easy forehand volley.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: That's what happens sometimes in tennis. You need to just stay focused. Sometimes that's what's going to happen. Sometimes it's the opposite way, that you're going to make some easy mistakes.
Today everything went in my favor afterwards, and I'm happy to sit here as the winner.

Q. Did you think that if the match was going to go to three sets that you would have an advantage given her previous games?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I don't mind playing three-setters in general. I feel in good shape, and I can keep playing out there. So I was just thinking just try to stay in the match. She still hasn't won it.
When I went to the third set, I was really pumped and ready to go out there and fight until the last ball.

Q. Have you ever played a more tenacious player?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, she's a very difficult player to play against because she's playing -- she's mixing it up quite a bit and she knows how to slice. She's playing with a big topspin. She goes to the net quite a bit as well.
So it's very difficult, but I managed to keep my head cool, and it worked out.

Q. What happened to your leg, and how concerned were you about that?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I could feel that -- I don't know, I think it's -- I don't know if it's the hip flexor. It's on the side of leg anyway. I felt it when I was serving and I fell down on my leg. I wanted to tape it up because I've had something similar before, so I knew that if I tape it up it will be okay.
First the tape was too restricting and too tight. I got some painkillers that helped me, and after 15, 20 minutes I didn't feel it. So then it was okay.

Q. You're used to this kind of stats, but Francesca had 41 winners and you only 14. Then she had 46 unforced errors and you only 15. So you're No. 1 in the world, but the other players seem to take more initiative than you do. That doesn't sound a bit strange to you? It's normal?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I just want to know who won the match. (Smiling.) I think I did that, so, you know, I think there is no question. I'm playing to win. If the opponent makes a hundred winners, it's too good. But if I still win the match, that's the most important thing in the end.

Q. You said on court after the first set you started to take the ball a bit earlier and step in. Do you think you have to play more aggressively to go all the way here?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I definitely had to step it up a little bit today. With her spin, she pulled me too far back behind the baseline. Then I was taking some chances that wasn't really chances. I was going for some shots that maybe wasn't the smartest. Then she went in and played aggressive at important points.
In the end I figured out how to play. I stood a little bit closer but still was placing the ball well and made her run a lot. That's what gave me the good result in the end.

Q. It's going to be a very different match in the semifinal. What sort of threat does Li Na pose and what do you think you have to do to impose your game on hers?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I lost to her here last year. She's a really good player, and she hasn't lost a match this year yet. She won in Sydney and she is on a roll.
But I'm just happy to be in the semifinals for now and having a day off break tomorrow. So I'm going to enjoy that, and looking forward to coming back on Thursday and give it my all.

Q. What makes you better equipped to play Li this year compared to last year?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think we always improve. I think Li Na has improved a lot, but I also believe I have. Just going to go in there, fight for every point, and just see what's going to happen.
I know that she can play very good tennis; but I can too. It's just a matter of who wins the most important points in that match.

Q. Can you remember some of your matches from the juniors on the back courts when there were big fights and maybe the line calls weren't correct so much, parents were getting involved? Just how you learned to fight through those moments as a kid.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it's much different now to play on the big courts with the Hawk-Eye and everything. You can't really fight the machines. Today was nice that we had the Hawk-Eye as well, because on the match point the ball got overruled. So without the Hawk-Eye, you never know if I would have won in the end.
It was a pretty important point. You definitely learn to just accept, because you can't do anything. The more you fight -- but still, you could get a bit upset sometimes, especially when it was tight matches and important moments and you felt like you weren't, you know, yeah, the balls were not seen right.
But now with the Hawk-Eye, everything is okay and you can choose to challenge if you want.

Q. Talk a bit about the delights of playing defense and the pleasure you get as tennis player when you make a great get versus when you hit a winner?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think it's important to do both. I think I can read the game pretty well, and I'm running pretty well as well. When I have the chance, I can step it up as well.
I think that's also why the opponents sometimes feel like they have to play more on the lines and sometimes go for things a bit more and also make the mistakes, because they feel the pressure as well.
My game is to win. If sometimes I have to run the balls down, I can do that. If sometimes I need to step it up, I try to do that. I can still improve in many areas, but I'm on the right track.

Q. How many sets would you play in an average practice game at home? Do you play sets?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Depends. Usually in the off-season, in the beginning I practice a lot, no sets. But then towards the middle and end of the off-season I practice in the morning maybe one half hours, some technique or different exercises, and then I play maybe two sets in the afternoon just to try to convert everything you practice into a match situation.
But to be honest, until you really stand in a real match, it's not the same. So for me, I like to play matches and get into that rhythm. That's when I feel most comfortable.

Q. Agnieszka Radwanska tomorrow will play Kim Clijsters. Do you think she has a chance to beat her, or is Kim Clijsters the hot favorite?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. Tennis is a sport, and there's a 50% chance of winning every time you step on the court. I think Agnieszka has to play very tomorrow well to win. She's a smart player and she has a chance, but I think Kim is a slight favorite tomorrow.

Q. You've talked about this a little bit before, but Agnieszka is your good friend, Vika is your good friend. Do you guys ever talk about tennis when you go out? If you don't, what do you talk about?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, a little bit sometimes, but mostly we talk about other things. We like food, like where to go shopping, where to go eat. You know, I went on holidays with some of the girls this year. I was relaxing with Victoria in Monaco, and last year I went to Mauritius with the Radwanska girls. So we talk about that and we talk about just regular girly stuff. I don't know, guys. (Laughter.)

Q. Kangaroos?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Kangaroos. We just, yeah, we like to have fun.

Q. Speaking of friends of yours, how do you see the future of the Sorana Cirstea, who was your doubles partner?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, Sorana is a very good friend of mine. I hadn't seen her for a while when I saw her here. I mean, she's getting in a very good shape.
Unfortunately, she had a small injury in her stomach that was restricting her from serving very well. She has a bright future. She's playing very well and she's on the right track back.

Q. You've already been No. 1. Winning the match today you're guaranteed you will be able to keep it. Does that matter to you at this point, or you're in your tournament and that's all you're thinking about?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, I just think about every match here. I don't think about the rankings. I just want to try to win every match I'm playing, and then we'll see what happens. I mean, if I'm No. 1, it's fantastic. But I've already...

Q. You will be.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Okay. But I've already reached one of my goals of reaching No. 1. Now I'm just thinking about this tournament and trying to win two more matches. That would be great.

Q. How are you planning to prepare for Thursday's semifinal?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Right now I'm just going to have some nice food and maybe watch the night session if I will make it. A little bit. I like to lie on the couch after I've won a match and just watch the night session.
After that, tomorrow probably have a hit, a massage, and relax and recharge the batteries.

Q. You're on the player council now of the WTA. Are you personally in favor the on-court coaching or not?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I like it. I like it. I think it's a good thing. It makes it more interesting. I think that the crowd likes it more also that they hear it at home, what we talk about.
So I'm in favor of it.

Q. You don't seem to get tired too much on court, and obviously Schiavone can pretty much play forever. Would you ever be in favor the three out of five sets for the women in the finals of Grand Slams? Not the whole tournament, just the finals.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: That's a tough one to say. I would like to try it once to play three out of five sets just to see how it feels. But I don't think it would be a good idea to make the final three out of five sets in a Grand Slam.
Because when you're used to playing best of three sets all the time and suddenly to change the finals to best of five, I'm not sure if that would work out.
I've heard that they did that for a few years in the Championships, and a lot injuries, so it wasn't great. So I don't think it would be very good.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297