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CHINA OPEN

October 3, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki

BEIJING, CHINA

C. WOZNIACKI/L. Hradecka
3-6, 6-0, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. (Through translation.) Welcome back, Caroline, and congratulations on your first win in the first round.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Thank you.

Q. In the second set, it seemed you had a very easy win, and then the final set, the deciding set, seemed to become tough. What happened?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I mean, she's a player that doesn't give you any rhythm. She's serving 200 kilometer per hour serves, so when it's on, it's difficult.
It wasn't pretty match, but I'm through. That's what's most important. You know, it was a tough match because there was no rhythm, so it was tough to really get into the game.
But the second set her first serve percentage dropped, and made it easier for me to start the rallies.

Q. (Through translation.) In yesterday's press conference, Petra expressed that you will very soon win a Grand Slam. How would you comment on that?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, I hope she's right. She's a great girl. We always have fun together. I'm so happy for her that she won Wimbledon this year. She's had a good season. It's always nice to see the girls that you hang out with doing well.
You know, hopefully we will play a lot of matches in the future and have a lot of good competitions.

Q. You lost the first set. Was it because you were not getting used to the conditions in the stadium or because of something else? What went through your mind then?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, it's never easy to start and play your first match. I lost my serve, and then, you know, she held and she was serving well. I didn't really put too many balls in the court. She was putting the pressure on me from the beginning.
I just thought I have it play one ball at a time and one point at a time and see what happens.

Q. Are you as disappointed as everyone else that Li Na didn't manage to make it through yesterday? Obviously you're the defending champion here. Were you looking forward to perhaps a bit of a showdown with Li Na?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, of course it's tough for Li Na to play here. It's always tough to play at home. At the same time, it's an amazing feeling to have the crowd behind you.
You know, you cannot win everything. It's always difficult. I'm sure, I mean, that the crowd would love to see her advance further in the tournament. Again, she's a great girl. I always want to wish her well.
But, you know, she's qualified for the Championships I think, right? Not quite? Well, I have a feeling she'll be at the Championships, so, you know, yeah, she can finish off strong there.

Q. Talking about the crowd, I think in your match just then, you definitely are winning more crowd than your opponent. What do you think of that? And definitely there was a time that you were not as popular as you are right now, so can you compare the two kind of experiences and say something about the relationship between the crowd and the tennis player? Thank you.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I mean, everyone has to start from somewhere. Everyone is unknown at some point. The better you play, the further you get into the tournaments, the more people know who you are and you gain fans. You will have people who love the way you play; you will have people who dislike. But people will always want to watch your matches.
It's great to have the crowd behind me here. You know, I definitely think that it helped that I won here last year and that, yeah, I got my No. 1 ranking here for the first time.
So, you know, it's a great feeling to be back. It's always helping when the crowd is supporting and you feel that they're pushing you in the right direction.

Q. It's a year ago that you were crowned No. 1 and you're still there and everything, but can you just give us a flavor of how your focus has changed perhaps? Because it will be quite important for you to defend your title and keep your No. 1 status. And then a supplement to the Li Na situation, she sort of made a play about adding pressure and everything, and there has been a lot of talk in the Internet and the media that perhaps now she has too much sponsorship pressure upon her and maybe that's impacting her game. Obviously you're No. 1. You have lots of sponsored, too. Can you give us a flavor of what those added pressures are actually like and how to you deal with those?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: First to answer the question about Li Na. You know, she's huge here in China. If you say Li Na, everyone will know who she is. She won a Grand Slam this year and was in a Grand Slam finals. She's 29 years old. It's been an amazing season for her.
So the added sponsorship, it's just a plus. I mean, it's nice for her to know that once she stops playing tennis she's set. I mean, she can do what she wants. She will always have possibilities to get work here as well if they wants to. She can do whatever she wants.
I think it's not pressure. It's just tough. There are so many girls out there playing great tennis at the moment. They always want to play their best tennis against you because they know that they have to to beat you. They have nothing no lose. So it's kind of being a target. Everyone is aiming to win against you. You know, it's never easy.
But, you know, Li Na, I mean, I'm sure when she looks back on the season she's very proud and very happy. You know, I don't think she's looking at the Internet too much and reading about herself - or at least I don't. (Smiling.)
And the first question, I mean, it's been a year now where I'm No. 1. It's an amazing feeling. It's something I've always practiced for and tried to achieve, so to be up there, of course it's great. Last few tournaments of the season, of course I want to finish off well.
If you've been No. 1 pretty much the whole year, you want to finish the year No. 1 as well. It would be a little bit bitter if you would lose it in the last week of the season. So definitely, you know, I try to be focused. I just give it my all in the last few tournaments.
We have to see. I mean, what happens is going to happen. 1 or 2, it still has been a good season for me.

Q. (Through translation.) Many of the ATP players complain that the season lasts too long. Do you have a similar sort of opinion? Second question: Next year, would you have any consideration of reducing the number of tournaments you play, like change your focus to the big tournaments? And last question: As time goes by and the pressure of winning Grand Slams becoming heavier and heavier, talk about...
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: What was the first question?

Q. About the season.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think WTA has done a good job by cutting the season so we have two months off, November and December. We have time to relax, go on vacation, and then come back and practice and get ready for Australia.
Second question?

Q. Would you change your focus and reduce the number of tournaments?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, if someone knows the rules, they know that there are a lot of commitment tournaments. I think it's 15 I have to play no matter what. So, you know, I'm adding just a few more tournaments.
You know, I'm a player that likes to play, especially when you're doing well. Next year we'll have even less flexibility because of the Olympics. The schedule is pretty much set from the beginning.
Third question?

Q. As time goes by, the pressure of winning a Grand Slam...
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, pressure, again, I've said it before: pressure is when you're put in a spot where you feel you don't belong. I feel like I belong here, and my time will come.
Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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