The Caroline Wozniacki Site

Today’s blockbuster quarterfinal between Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki confirmed two things. One was that Clijsters’ ankle – which has sustained a nasty twist during her dramatic fourth-round win over Li Na – does not seem to be hampering her unduly. The second was that the Dane, despite her commitment to working hard and improving her game, remains unable to hurt the heaviest hitters in the game.

In a match between former and current world No.1’s it was Clijsters who was rewarded for her typically more aggressive approach to the match. Although she let slip a set and 5-2 lead, the Belgian steadied in a second set tie-break, wrapping up a 6-3, 7-6(4) win with a flurry of winners to set up a mouthwatering semifinal with the red-hot No.3 seed Victoria Azarenka.

Clijsters said that instead of thinking about the match against the Dane, the past two days had been spent focusing on intensively rehabilitating her battered ankle. She was couch-bound, alternating between ice-on and ice-off for 20 minutes each, elevating her leg, and receiving lymphatic drainage treatment.

Perhaps it released the pre-match pressure valve somewhat, as Clijsters for the most part produced a free-swinging performance. No doubt keenly aware that she was lucky to be alive in the competition after saving four match points against Li, and the fact that she has said this is her last Australian Open, Clijsters is playing with a sense of purpose, almost destiny.

It was evidenced in how she hit out during a tight second set tie-break, and especially so on the winner she struck to bring up her match points.

“I just had to go for it. I mean, I had a good look on it. I felt like it was sitting right up there, and I felt like I could really rip it inside out,” she said.

For Wozniacki, the loss could be more blessing than curse. It means that she will surrender the top ranking, either to Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka or Maria Sharapova depending on how results pan out later this week.

While today’s defeat must be an extremely bitter pill to swallow – the realisation she may never hoist a Grand Slam trophy while big-hitters such as Clijsters are around – it will for now release her of the burden of having to defend herself as a legitimate No.1 when most of the tennis world doesn’t believe she is.

But back to the tennis for a minute. Clijsters began the match on fire, in the zone from the back of the court and playing ball-on-a-string tennis to gain an early break and open up a 3-1 lead. By the fifth game she’d already struck nine winners to two and showed she was confident in her movement when she employed her trademark split-slide to stretch for a forehand.

Not only was she playing well, but the Belgian giving other WTA players – who have frequently described the Dane as like playing a “brick wall” – a lesson in how to swing a wrecking ball straight through it.

Unlike Wozniacki’s fourth round opponent Jelena Jankovic, who when trying to attack against the No.1 seed persisted in hitting side-to-side into the open court, Clijsters employed a different tactic. She effectively worked the ball around the court and frequently went in behind Wozniacki with her heavy groundstrokes, robbing the Dane of the chance to get into a groove with her lateral court movement by consistently wrong-footing her.

Yet Clijsters also has penetration and disguise in her groundstrokes that Jankovic lacks, and using that to her advantage, cemented a 5-2 lead with the loss of just one point in the next two games.

Errors then crept into the 11th seed’s game while Wozniacki – as we’ve come to expect – fought hard. The Dane brought out some excellent tennis in the ninth game when Clijsters looked poised to capture the first set, but a fifth set point proved too big a hurdle to clear.

Much like the first set, Clijsters again broke early in the second set to lead 3-1. Points were becoming formulaic – the Belgian repeatedly dragged Wozniacki wide of the court with her heavy crosscourt backhands, and then picked of the generally short reply for a winner. If she didn’t do it then, she struck a winner off the next ball after that. It was relentless.

“I was happy with the way that I was playing … It was important to just stay focused one point at a time and to really, whenever you felt like you could go for that winner, just try to do that,” Clijsters surmised.

“I'm very happy with the way that I was able to move.”

Yet she came close to blowing that opportunity when errors began littering her game when she was receiving for the match. She struck a pair of backhands long to allow Wozniacki to hold in the eighth game, and then in a tense game in which she served for the match, lost control of her forehand as well. Clijsters then fluffed more groundstrokes to allow the Dane to level.

Yet when the set progressed to a tiebreaker, the Belgian proved why she owns four major titles – a cool head under pressure. Despite having lost control of her shots Clijsters remained true to her high-risk game and fended off her fast-finishing opponent with some big winners.

That massive off-forehand winner set up two match points, before a swinging forehand volley sealed victory. Clijsters said her superior performance in the very late stages of the second set came down to her greater experience.

“The stress will always be there. It's a part of the sport, and the mental game is just so important,” she said.

“I've been on both sides, you know. I have been on sides where the stress has taken over my game. (But) these last few years I have been really able to cope with it and just try to not let it impact me.”

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes, I was really happy about the way I played, especially in the first set and a half. I mean, I have to say she started to play very well, as well. She had nothing to lose, so she could just go for it.

I had game points and break points in the last, or in the next couple of games when I was up 4‑1. I didn't take them.

But, you know, I knew she was a fighter and it wasn't going to be easy. I'm just happy to be here as the winner of the match. I felt like I played some really good tennis out there today.

Q. What were you thinking at 5‑All? You were up 4‑1. You seemed to be in control. Then she made a pretty big push back. She was coming to the net a lot, hitting the line. So when she gets to 5‑5, what are you thinking?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, when it was 5‑4, 40‑30, I was thinking, Okay, I need to get this point and I need to close it out. It was like deja vu from last year.

But at 5‑All all...

Q. Maybe that's why you hit the forehand into the net. (Laughing.)

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, it wasn't. Actually, I meant to hit it over the net and short angle, but it didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to. (Smiling).

But, yeah, at 5‑All, I said, Okay, doesn't matter. It's still 5‑All. We are even here. Just keep going and keep fighting.

Q. Strategy‑wise, it looked like you changed it up a little bit against her. You were playing her forehand a lot.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: We know each other's games so well. We have played each other maybe six or seven times before. I knew how she was gonna play.

For me, it was important for me to keep my own game and focus on myself, and I think my game is to mix it up a little bit and not give the same pace.

So that was what I was trying to do, and move into the court, take the balls a bit earlier, and just move her around.

In the second set from 4‑1 she started just to take her chances. She had some lets. She came to the net, played some great volleys. She played some lines. I was just thinking, Okay, just keep focusing on the next point. Don't think about the score.

But I was really pleased about the way I was playing today.

Q. Did you get any particular advice on playing her from Richie, because obviously he knows her game very well?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, not really. I mean, I have known her from the past. So we know by now, you know, most of the players' game already. So it's just about reminding yourself.

I have played Jankovic quite a few times last year, and so I knew how she was gonna play and I knew how to approach it.

Q. Next match could be a big step up. Kim's, she got out of jail kind of today. She's defending champion. She's won Grand Slams and you've had a hard time against her. Maybe you might even have to play better than you did today, huh?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think I have to play better. I think I just need to play my game and play the same way as I did today. If I do, Kim really needs to play well to beat me.

You know, for me, it's important to think about myself and I believe I'm a great player. So if I lose to someone who just played better than me that day, it's just take my hat off and say, Well done, and I'll be back next time and try to do better.

Kim is a great player. She has won a lot. She's done a lot through her career. I know it's her last Australian Open, so I'm sure she will give everything. Today she had a really tough match against Li Na, and I thought you she was out.

But she showed her fighter heart and showed she can come back from any score. No, it's going to be a tough one. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. At what point did you think she was out?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think when she did that dropshot with the ‑‑ it made it half of the court and into Li Na's backhand. I said, Okay, that's done. That's over done.

But it was a lot mentally, as well. I think Li Na, looking back, she's probably thinking, you know, I could maybe have gone a little bit more for it when I was up 6‑2 in the tiebreaker.

But it's tennis, and one day you win a match like that; sometimes you lose. You know, it's just about moving on and learning from the things you've done.

Q. Do you think you will step in the same trap as Li Na did, the mental trap?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, I believe that I can just play point by point.

Q. How are you planning on trying to take advantage of her injury? She still could be moving not as well as usual.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, I will just be focusing on myself. She still has two days to rest, or one day, and I don't know when we will be playing the next day.

But, you know, I'm sure that I just have to play my game and focus on myself.

Q. What about your wrist problems?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It's been much better from day one to now. I'm very pleased.

Q. How much are you looking forward to the challenge of playing her, you know, on the big court, Grand Slam champion, your being No. 1, a lot of people will be anticipating it.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: If I have to be honest, I'm just very excited to be through now and just enjoying an off day tomorrow. Those are the best days. You can just chill and watch tennis on TV.

I'm sure when I get to Tuesday ‑‑ is it Sunday? Tuesday when I have to play, of course I'll be very focused and very ‑‑ try to prepare myself as best as I can for that match, and just go out there and fight.

You can't do anything else, so just go out there and give it your all.

Q. Would you like a daylight match instead of the bugtime?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I like the nighttime, so I really like the night sessions. I think it's a great atmosphere. There were less bugs today than my first match, so maybe next time it will be even less.

Q. Are they more dangerous than kangaroos?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I actually had a small kangaroo ‑‑ and I'm not kidding this time. (Laughter.) I was holding a small kangaroo, baby kangaroo, trying to show me that actually it was very nice to me this time.

Do you know what it did afterwards? I gave it some milk, and it just spit it all over me. I was like, Is this a thank you for just being nice and petting the kangaroo? I got milk all over myself.

I guess I deserved that from the story last year.

The pressure is on for world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at this Australian Open.

The 21-year-old Dane’s top ranking is being threatened here by her three closest foes -- reigning Wimbledon champion and second seed Petra Kvitova, third seed Victoria Azarenka, and fourth seed Maria Sharapova, who all have a chance to dethrone Wozniacki. For starters, Wozniacki must reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park to have a chance at keeping her queenly crown. If she can’t achieve a quarterfinal berth it’s a given that one of the other three players will ascend to the top of the WTA’s corporate ranking ladder.

Wozniacki helped he cause this afternoon when she moved into the fourth round with a solid 6-2, 6-2 win over 31st seed Monica Niculescu of Romania. Now she’s just one more victory away from the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, Wozniacki insists her mind is far away from worrying about her ranking.

“To be honest, I just play,” Wozniacki said. “I want to try to do my best here. Whatever happens, happens. For me, the most important thing is to keep improving. If I do that, I know I can play on a very high level.”

Wozniacki’s been the top ranked WTA star for 67 of the last 68 weeks -- she surrendered one week last February to Kim Clijsters, but only one week. But many pundits question her ability to top the ranking considering she’s missing a major element to her credentials: a Grand Slam title.

Like it or not, players tend to be judged by their success at the majors and Wozniacki’s yet to deliver. Overall, this Australian Open is her 20th consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. She’s been the top seed at six consecutive majors now with her best result at those Slams being semifinal finishes at last season’s Australian and U.S. Opens. Overall, her best effort at a Grand Slam was reaching the 2009 U.S. Open final that she lost to Clijsters - that result enabled her to become the first Danish citizen since Kurt Nielsen (1955 Wimbledon) to journey to a major final.

So how has Wozniacki dominated the rankings?

Simple: consistency and constant competing. She plays frequently -- she won a WTA-leading 63 matches (63-17) in 2011. She almost always goes deep into a tournament -- she won a WTA-leading six titles last season (Dubai, Indian Wells, Charleston, Brussels, Copenhagen and a fourth consecutive New Haven trophy), reached two other finals, three quarterfinals and two fourth-rounders.

“If you win matches in tournaments, then the ranking will be there automatically,” Wozniacki said. “My main priority is just to try to play every match that I play.”

Niculescu had never before played a No. 1 player and had only once beaten a top 10 player, which was sixth-ranked reigning French Open champion Li Na in front of Li’s home crowd at the 2011 Beijing tournament last October.

The Romanian certainly kept in the rallies, but in the end she didn’t have enough muscle to make any real inroad against Wozniacki. They had played twice before and Wozniacki won both meetings. They hadn’t met since the 2008 New Haven tournament but not much has changed as Wozniacki’s never dropped a set against the Romanian.

Of notable interest in the match was that Wozniacki, usually firmly planted on the baseline to bash groundstrokes back at opponents, managed to check out the net. She visited 13 times and won the point seven times in the first set, and was eight of 12 at the net in the second set. It would certainly enhance her game if she pushed herself to find a comfort zone coming in as well as to develop her serve into a more prominent weapon.

In that mindset, Wozniacki’s even going about changing her volley style for the future.

“I’ve worked quite a bit on my volleys,” Wozniacki said. “I still think I could’ve finished up a few more points up there but I’m improving and I’m trying to move in when I can sometimes.

“The last, I don’t know how many years I’ve played, I’ve always had a two-handed backhand volley. I’ve tried to change that to a one-hand.”

As to why she wants to drop the two-fisted volley she says, “It looks better. Yeah, for more reach (too), but I always thought that the proper volley is the one-hand backhand volley so I try to do that.”

Looking good or not, the tennis world waits and wonders whether Wozniacki will back up her long stay at No. 1 with her first Grand Slam title in just a little over a week at the Australian Open.