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NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALEAugust 22, 2013Caroline WozniackiNEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT C. WOZNIACKI/S. Stephens THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You looked very crisp and focused and solid out there. Did you feel as good as you looked? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I definitely did. I went out there with aggression. I felt like I was playing really well, taking the ball early. I was really, really pleased about my game tonight. I thought Sloane played really well, as well. You know, I was really pleased with that win. Q. Sounds like a broken record, but 23‑1, six straight years in the semifinals. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Don't make me feel old here (smiling). Q. Does it feel when you get out on the court, it gives you a boost of confidence? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I love playing here. It's definitely a great feeling stepping out there on the court and knowing I've won so many times. Today I just went out there and I was so focused on what I wanted to do. As I said, I just put all the aggression out there and really felt like I went for my shots because I didn't feel like I was playing badly in the beginning. I felt like I was playing really well. Sloane just, bam, hammered winners right and left. I said, Okay, I need to step it up even more. I managed to do that, which I was very pleased with. Q. Sloane was asked what makes you so tough. The first thing she said was you were a great competitor. When you hear something like that, is that the best thing an athlete can hear from an opponent? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, for sure. Not everyone is gifted with a lot of talent. Obviously you have to have some talent to reach the top. But I think the hard work, the work ethics, the competitiveness, I think that's definitely what brings you all the way to the top. You can reach a certain level with talent and with hard work, but you really need that competitive spirit to make it all the way. Q. Do you get the feeling with her that you've been the face of this tournament so long, she's the new kid on the block, some of them were maybe not sure whether they were rooting for you or for her? Did you feel that at all or did you feel the same type of support? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, obviously she's American. But I felt like in the first set especially, it was very 50/50. Then I think the crowd really wanted a longer match. Obviously they started rooting her on a little bit more. But, yeah, I mean, the crowd has always really liked me here. They've helped me through a lot of tough matches here in the past. Q. Can you talk about the 10th game in the first set. She's serving for the set. What goes through your mind at that point? Seemed like you found another gear. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, I was thinking, You know what, you're playing great tennis. I was like, You need to step it in even more for the returns. If you lose this set, it's too good from her. I still have another set to try to make it up. I was like, Just go out there and keep doing what you're doing, because I was feeling good out there, really good. Q. Do you see a bright future for Sloane? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, for sure. I mean, she has very powerful strokes. She has a very good serve. I was actually surprised how good she was running, as well. She ran a lot of balls down. I can definitely see a very bright future. She's already had a great career. Q. Do you remember a first impression of coming to New Haven? You played Bartoli and Chakvetadze, some names that are gone from the game now. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Again, thank you for making me feel old. I'm really not (smiling). Yeah, I mean, I can't believe it's the sixth year here. It's unbelievable how the time flies. But, yeah, I've played a lot of good matches, a lot of tough matches. I've had rain delays. I've played indoors, outdoors in the heat, night sessions. I've played with some wind, with a hurricane coming in. You know, I played with a bit of everything. It just makes it interesting. Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your opponent for the semifinals. She seems to be having a good year. Not well‑known, but won a couple tournaments. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: She's had a good year. I played her once in Dubai. It was a tough match. She's definitely playing good tennis. For me right now, I'm just happy that I'm through. I really haven't thought about the match tomorrow yet. Q. It seems like you've been improving with every match. Do you feel that way? Are you doing anything special in practice? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I feel today is the best match of this tournament. Hopefully I can keep it up tomorrow, as well. But you never know. Every match is different. Sometimes you feel really great out there. Sometimes it's a struggle, but you need to find a way to win. Sometimes it's a little up and down. But I feel comfortable on these courts and I feel comfortable playing on the hard courts. It's always been a part of the year that I'm looking forward to. Q. If you win this tournament, there's not very many names in tennis that have won five times at one event: Graf, Evert, Navratilova. What would it feel like to join a crop like that? CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think there's many players that have won an event four times already. I'm pretty proud of my achievement actually. You know, I think it's pretty impressive. It's still two matches to go. I have a tough match tomorrow. I don't really want to look ahead. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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