Caroline Wozniacki is three wins away from winning her first grand slam title but the fear of failing again no longer haunts a player who has learned to ignore the expectations of others.
Wozniacki, who came perilously close to losing against the 21‑year‑old Croat Jana Fett in the second round, was commanding in her quick 6-3, 6-0 victory against Magdalena Rybarikova on day seven of the Australian Open. But, at 27, Wozniacki seems way more composed than in the past. The close call might have been the reminder she needed that this tournament is still a lottery.
“I feel good,” the second seed said. “Being almost out of the tournament, you have nothing to lose after that. I played really well from being down 5-1. Since then, I’ve just kept that going.”
Of the last time she made the Melbourne quarter-finals, in 2012, Wozniacki said: “It’s so long ago. I don’t really know [how her game has changed]. All I can say is I’m in a good place. Everything has been going well the last year and a half or so.”
That is the voice of contentment – to go with the smile from toothpaste heaven. Nobody glows quite like Wozniacki when life is going her way. But she has been in this situation many times, especially when she was the world No 1 and consistently failing to win a grand slam title.
On Tuesday she plays Carla Suárez Navarro, who continued the assault on the seeds in this tournament, putting out the No 32, Anett Kontaveit, 4-6, 6-4, 8-6. Renowned as the best footballer among the women on the Tour, Suárez Navarro defeated Wozniacki on the clay of Madrid last year, but did not have a great season.
“We’ve had a lot of tough encounters on hard courts as well – three-set gruelling matches,” Wozniacki said. “I’m expecting a tough fight. She had a tough season last year. She also had a few injuries. But she’s back playing really well.”
Suárez Navarro is also the only player left in the women’s draw in Melbourne with a single-handed backhand. “Tennis is going to more power, faster,” the Spaniard said. “Years ago, all the players play with one-handed. Now we are losing it. But maybe we can open a little bit more the court with the angle. Maybe we slice a little bit better.”
As for trends, Wozniacki sees the increasing number of older players doing well as a healthy situation. “The most frustrating thing about tennis is that you can always get better,” the Dane said.
“You can even see that in Roger [Federer] or Rafa [Nadal], who are some of the best players ever. They come back year after year, and they play even better, though you think it’s almost impossible. It inspires everyone else to step it up, try to play better. I have a long way to go.”
