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Caroline Wozniacki Articles and Interviews

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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Caroline Wozniacki: A great Dane
Part of article: http://www.tennishead.net/prozone/hot-stuff/2008-02-19/great-dane/

“I just saw it as an opportunity to show the world who I am, that I can play,” Wozniacki tells Tennishead casually, like taking the women’s tour by storm as a teenager is no big deal. “I had to start from the beginning again, and I really found that fun to just go out and think that every match I win is a big plus. If I lost a match it was fine, and if I won it was great, so step-by-step I came up the rankings.” As well as her refreshingly relaxed approach to playing tennis, she’s proved that she also has the weapons and mental toughness to rely on when the opportunities come along in big matches. “Senior players are more consistent and hit harder, but think a bit better than the juniors,” she explains. “They take the first opportunity that they have, not the second or third; if they have one chance they take it. I think mentally I’m pretty sharp. I don’t give up.”

That winning mentality is probably in her genes. With her dad, Piotr, a Pole who played pro football in Denmark, mum Anna who played volleyball for Poland and an older brother, Patrik, who’s an amateur footballer back home in Denmark she grew up in a pretty competitive environment, something that used to surface when she played soccer herself as a kid. “I’m really competitive so if I’m not better than the others I don’t want to play any more,” she says matter of factly. Her father has had a hand in her tennis since she began playing aged seven and her parents still travel on the tour, accompanied by recent addition to her entourage, Swedish coach Henrik Holm, a former top 20 player himself who is employed by the Danish tennis federation. Internet rumours in February suggested Jimmy Connors was being lined up to help with her game too. “I did all different kinds of sports [when I was younger]… I don’t think there’s a sport that I haven’t tried!” she admits. “And then suddenly I played tennis a little bit, and no one wanted to play with me because I was too bad.

“I just wanted to show the whole world that I wasn’t bad. I was playing against the wall for hours each day and I thought it was fun. And then one day my dad took me on the court and he wanted to practice with me and that’s how it started. And I got better than my parents, better than my brother, and I made some small goals and I achieved them and I wanted to become better and better.”

As well as improving her singles ranking, the teenager says she is determined to make sure she makes her Olympic debut in 2008 when the Games visit Beijing in August. “It’s a main goal for me because the Olympics is only every fourth year, and it’s a great achievement to go there and play and fight for some medals.”Success at the Olympics would guarantee her serious superstar status back home in Denmark. Even before her Australian Open exploits, the Danes were talking about her becoming their biggest sports star of all time – no mean feat in a football-obsessed country that has churned out greats such as Michael and Brian Laudrup, legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, as well as Tour de France cyclists Bjarne Riis and Michael Rasmussen.

Major sponsors haven’t been slow in recognising her appeal. The logos of Babolat, adidas, Danish financial services group Nordea, JBJ Group, Sony Ericsson and Danish travel insurance company Europæiske Rejseforsikring A/S adorn her personal website, she’s already appeared on talk shows back home and has shot two TV commercials for Sony Ericsson and Europæiske.

Is she bothered by the attention? Not a bit. “Everyone knows me in Denmark now. If I go outside the door everyone wants autographs and are talking, but I like it – it’s fun. It feels good.” Like any authentic sports superstar, she now lives in Monte Carlo, having moved to the, ahem, tax-free principality in January 2007. It’s obvious Denmark is still close to her heart, though, (“It’s beautiful, with nice people,” she says, but “a little bit too rainy”) and confesses that being the only Dane on the WTA tour gets lonely at times. “Sometimes it is, we have some guys that are playing, but no girls, and so it is hard because you want to compete with someone positively and you want to have someone to talk to as well… [I miss] some of my friends that are at home, and my brother who is there and playing soccer, and I miss the atmosphere.”
Maintaining contact with all things Denmark is helped by the fact that Caroline is still a student, dedicated to completing her schoolwork by mixing tennis with long distance learning. “It’s important to get an education in case something happens,” she explains. It’s a mature approach to life for a 17-year-old, but something tells us she won’t be needing her geography, history or algebra any time soon. Someone who knows a thing or two about being a teenage prodigy, Martina Hingis, feels the same – and expects big things. “Caroline is a strong up and coming player with a lot of potential,” she said last year. “She just needs to keep on going with what she’s doing. She’s going in the right direction. I think she is very talented and can go a long way.”

Tennishead says: Watch out for Wozniacki!
 
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#3,926 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Caro says it means she may has to play in Fed Cup, even Danmark plays in Euro/African Zone III...
Unless she dramatically improves on clay I wouldn't bother if was Caroline because clay is probably the surface on which the olympic tournament will take place. It doesn't make much sense to me to schedule your season in a way that you have to play complete nobodies just to be able to play in an event where you probably won't get past the first or second round. I know that it's the olympics and that she would love to be part of the experience and all that, but still...
 
#3,929 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

VIDEO: Wozniacki lukker ned for privatlivet ( VIDEO: Wozniacki shut down for privacy)
http://www.dr.dk/Sporten/Oevrig_sport/Tennis/2013/11/12/130104.htm

Caroline Wozniacki looks back on his first eight years as a professional tennis player.
There has been much talk about the terms crisis with Caroline Wozniacki in the media, but even though it has only been a single WTA title this year, tennis star pleased to note that she was the fifth consecutive finishes in the top 10 in the world ranking.
- It's amazing, if I do say so myself.
- It's the top 10, where everybody wants to be, it's certainly something I'm proud of, and if there were some who said to me was 7 years old, "you're going to be number 1 two years consecutive top-10 five consecutive years, "then I said, that's fantastic, I will be glad to.
- You have to put things in perspective. What the media so choose to turn stories to it, they though. I would at least pat myself on the shoulder and say, well done, says Wozniacki, who points out that she is the first Scandinavian to have done so, she tells BBC Sport.
No news about Rory McIlroy
Tennis fills obviously very in Caroline Wozniacki's life, but she has received a lot of publicity because she is the girlfriend of golf star Rory McIlroy.
Also on their own initiative because she has have sprung up to his press conferences with questions nordireren. But we should not expect more of.
- Actually, I have decided that I will keep everything private life private from now on.
- I am so tired of always being speculated and talked about all sorts of things. For me it is just important, I've always felt this way, life off the court and how to have it are clearly more important than whether you can turn a ball over the net once extra.
- If I was asked if I would rather have a happy, wonderful life, and have 10 children and all healthy and live happily until their dying breaths, or win an extra tournament on the tennis court, then there would be no question. I had chosen the happy life, says Caroline Wozniacki.
'Stop it, you're cool'
Wozniacki believes the media affect the Danish attitude to her performance, but she also feel appreciated when she is at home a trip.
- I just think if the media had written, it's great all the time so people had believed it. But if you persist in writing that there is something that is not good enough, so think people eventually also on what is, especially if you are not completely in the sport.
- But again, I've just been in Denmark, and there were so many people who came up to me and said, oh boy you're cool, it's so well done, we follow you. We think it's amazing what you accomplish, and put Denmark on the world map. People at home definitely think it's good. The media must sell newspapers and have the click, they do what it takes to sell, says tennis star.

Physically and mentally mark
Its only 23 years despite so she can feel that she has been part of the WTA Tour for many years now.
- This is my eighth year as a pro, oh, it's so many years. Season glands becomes harder and harder, because it takes the body to be on all the time, also mentally.
- So that you can feel. I have also had issues a few times, when it's time to lie racket on the shelf, and then I say that I am only 23, so they say oops, that we had forgotten because you've been here on the tour for so long. I also caught myself saying, "I'm meeting a young player today, she is 'up and comming' and so is she older than myself, she recognizes.
 
#3,930 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Those are interesting comments. Caroline is in a unique situation because she was #1 for so long, won so many titles, but never the biggest titles.
A lot of tennis media and fans think majors mean a tremendous amount. So she will always have those comments about her. Unless she wins majors
 
#3,933 ·
#3,938 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

still relevant, at least in Canada, thank you DIAH :oh:

Yahoo Canada's Year in Review 2013: Top 10 Sports Personalities of the Year
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/yea...rsonalities-of-the-year-1385146666-slideshow/
8. Caroline Wozniacki
Wozniacki, the former world No. 1, did not have a great season on the court. She made more headlines through her relationship with golfer Rory McIlroy.

The full top 10:
1.Maria Sharapova
2. Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods
3. Serena Williams
4. Roberto Luongo
5. Aaron Hernandez
6. Sidney Crosby
7. Tim Tebow
8. Caroline Wozniacki
9. Kevin Ware
10. Ray Lewis
 
#3,939 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Here is another interview with Thomas Hoegstedt brought a few hours ago in the Danish paper Ekstrabladet:

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_sport/tennis/article2165924.ece

Here in a google translated version:

Caroline's new coach blows to attack

- She has to beat harder and heavier , announces Wozniacki new coach who will put her to play with the grand slam titles

They have put the first piece of hard training work outdoors in Dubai and indoors in Copenhagen before very shortly boosts the last pre-season preparations under the Florida sun .



- So far it has gone really well. We are very motivated to work together , says Caroline Wozniacki's new coach , Thomas Högstedt to Ekstra Bladet.

It did new offensive tendencies in her game in the last tournaments, and although one can hardly expect to see her in a play in terms of completely transformed version when she at New Year hits his first tournament ball in Australian Brisbane , she will soon be a more aggressive challenger , announces the experienced Swede.

He answers the question of the primary development in Caroline's game this way:

- To beat harder and heavier and get more speed in the field, he says, and keep as little on the next card , he will play out.

- And then she must show technical things that we already work with , and we constantly work with in the future.

Already, he describes his student's play -related forces completely cash:

- It's her defensive play , her physique and her ground strokes .

Thomas Högstedt -recently tuned Maria Sharapova and before her Chinese Li Na, works extremely confident when it comes to the important daily base that all change , of course, must jump off .

- Caroline 's great to work with. She is always positive , curious and eager to develop, and she is ready to work extremely hard.

- Is it realistic to dream of a Danish grand slam already in 2014?

- My goal is the same as with my former players : To make their game so well that they have a chance to win the grand slam tournaments, similar Högstedt , knowing how many things have to come together in a unit before one of the four major trophies in the house .

The 50 -year-old coach has for years been a close tennisven family Wozniacki but worked with other female star players has also taught him the wisdom of keeping a certain distance outside the chalk outline .

- How much should I be together, do you think? Only on the training pitch , or do you go by also developing a good, social relation ?

- We work together on the field during the physical training. Then Caroline his private life off the field. We eat together in between , but it is important that Caroline has its own life without my interference.

- How long has it been a desire for you to train Caroline ?

- I have worked with very good players and when I worked with Maria ( Sharapova , ed.) , I focused 100 percent on it. It was wonderful to work with a champion like Maria , and I can only say positive things about our relationship . I hope the same will be the case with Caroline , but it was not something I thought about while I was with Maria forward to our collaboration ended after Wimbledon.

- How early so you her potential?

- I trained with Caroline for the first time when she was 13-14 years old, and we trained again in the summer of 2010 , before she got her big upturn , so we know each other very well .

- How do you see her as a person ?

- She 's very positive , fun to be with and with a twinkle in his eye. She is very professional both on and off the field . Caroline is a very smart girl .

- What role do you see any of her father, Piotr Wozniacki in ?

- I have great confidence Piotr and know that he will always be the one that Caroline most listened to . His findings with Caroline speaks for itself . I am convinced that we will have a great partnership .

- It has earlier this year been suggestions that you did not want to travel so much more. Has the situation changed? And if so, how?

- We have not yet determined how much I travel , corresponds Thomas Högstedt that all very soon come to Caroline Wozniacki in Florida.
 
#3,941 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Here is another interview with Thomas Hoegstedt brought a few hours ago in the Danish paper Ekstrablade




- We have not yet determined how much I travel , corresponds Thomas Högstedt that all very soon come to Caroline Wozniacki in Florida.
So he might not be traveling with Caro that much.
It will be something new this year.
 
#3,940 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Good to see that Caro found an enthusiastic coach to work with. He sounds more down-to-earth than Ricardo Sanchez and has better credentials. I hope it'll work this time. It will be weird not to see Piotr around,I have to say I'm surprised that he finally was the one who would decide to go. Looking forward to Brisbane event, hopefully Caro will be a contender there. She needs some good wins/trophies to get back her self-confidence.
 
#3,942 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

http://sportsgazette.co.uk/section.php?aid=991&sid=16

Why “pushers” are good for WTA?



How many times have we heard tennis experts complaining about overly defensive players getting to the top of the world rankings?

Solidity takes you to the top, but will not make you win slams. Or so they say.

But is this really a bad thing for women’s tennis?

Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki have been world number ones for 85 weeks combined, Agnieska Radwanska has reached a slam final and peaked at world number two, Sara Errani has been a solid top 10 player with a slam final in Paris.

Nonetheless, the media seems to crucify them and describe them as being one of the worst plagues in the history of tennis, but they are very wrong, and this is why:


Let us take the Pole as an example.

The older of the Radwanska sisters constantly receives a great amount of criticism by the press and yet she has won the Fans' Favourite award held by the WTA for three consecutive seasons.

The 2012 Wimbledon finalist does not have the power to out-hit her physically stronger opponents, but her smart reading of the game and the variety of shots in her game-plan, often set her in a position of advantage against the one-dimensional ball strikers.


Probably the hottest potato is Caroline Wozniacki though.

The Dane has reigned on the top of the rankings for 67 weeks, finishing the season as world number one for two consecutive years. Amazing stats, but she has never won a slam title.

(Continues on Sports Gazette)

:hatoff:
 
#3,945 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Caroline Wozniacki: I'll spend Christmas with Rory
http://www.billedbladet.dk/kendte/d...ory?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Christmas in the United States and New Year down under. The Danish tennis star has a busy life, which, however, is time for love.

On Sunday 8 December 2013 - Ulrik Ulriksen and Nikoline Vestergaard
Caroline Wozniacki working hard to get back on top of the tennis world. Every day in training for the 23-year-old Danish tennis star.

And Christmas will be no exception, she says to RoyalDish.

- I have to work out now and also over the Christmas and New Year. Because I gotta be ready for the Australian Open tournament in January, says Caroline Wozniacki.

Christmas with Rory
But there are also time to relax a bit and enjoy the love with his golfer-boyfriend in December.

- I have to spend Christmas in the United States along with Rory, so it'll be great. And New Year will be as in Australia, because tennis tournament in Brisbane starting on 28 and 29 December. I have previously held any party in December for my friends, but for now I'll just quietly and uses all forces on the training ground, says Wozniacki to RoyalDish.

She adds that she is also going to meet some friends for dinner and socialize during the Christmas month.
 
#3,950 ·
Re: Articles and Interviews

Gives interview to Billed Bladet (Photo/Picture Magazine .. free for you, Goole) :bigcry: For the Brits, Billed Bladet would be equivalent to Closer or one of those celebrity trash mags. Ah well. At least she appears to be serious with her tennis.
 
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