If ever a top ranked and top seeded player has been under the radar at the US Open, it’s Caroline Wozniacki.
Despite her domination on the WTA Tour, her lack of Major titles and a sense that she isn’t as exciting or charismatic as some of her professional counterparts has lead to an increasing lull her in coverage.
However, no matter what you think of Caroline Wozniacki, you cannot call her boring.
Over the last few months, the World Number One has done everything she can think of to spice up the mundane routine of post and pre-match press conferences.
Back in January, the Danish then 20-year-old responded to reports by the media that she was boring, by highlighting just how arid the press and their questions could be.
Before taking any questions, Wozniacki went into a monologue responding to all the typical questions she gets asked day, after day, after day:
“How did you feel out there? Are you happy to make it to the next round? What do you need to do to win the tournament? Do you deserve to be No. 1?”
She then challenged the media to ask more interesting questions, to which the press responded with questions about her solutions to Global warming and what her plans were to have a family.
High on the excitement of getting one-over the press, the next day, Wozniacki told a tale about being attacked be a Kangaroo in the park. Several in the press room failed to spot the tomfoolery at work and went to print with the story. Wozniacki was then forced to redact her comments and apologize to the red-faced reporters.
At Wimbledon the cheeky Dane gatecrashed Aussie Open Champ Novak Djokovic’s press conference with a few questions of her own.
In an era of box standard questions and predictable answers, Caroline Wozniacki can be called anything but boring.
The reason she’s done all these things is really no coincidence. Caroline Wozniacki not only gets asked the same questions every day, but a couple of question that are not only unfair, but ludicrous and completely unjustified.
When are you going to win your first slam?
Do you feel you deserve to be Number One?
The first one is simply crazy. Winning a major isn’t simply a matter of making a New Year’s Resolution. “I’m going to give up Chocolate this year, what are you going to do?” “I think I’m going to win the French Open.” “Well, it’s about time.”
No, it’s tough to win majors and no-one is really suggesting that she isn’t trying.
I’ve sat in many a press conference and rarely do I hear people asking why someone hasn’t won a major. Vera Zvonareva doesn’t get asked when she’ll win her first major. Petra Kvitova is actually older than Wozniacki, and she doesn’t get asked this either. So why Wozniacki?
The real problem is that many people consider tennis as a four-tournament season. Unfortunately for the majority of fair-weather fans and lazy reporters, tennis is actually closer to an 11-month season, beginning before New Year’s Eve hangover’s have had a chance to subside, running right through until the year-ending Championships in November.
Sadly for Wozniacki and the WTA Tour, the great Champions of this era are not full-time touring professionals.
The Williams sisters have had their injury problems keeping them from the grind, but additionally, their extra-curricular activities in the World of business and fashion keep them more than busy away from the big tournaments. Kim Clijsters is a full-time mother, and while she’s on tour more than she suggested she would be, she is not in the mix week-in week-out. Equally, Justine Henin flat out quit, twice, which leaves a pretty massive gap at the top of the game.
This means that for the regular tour players, the vast majority of WTA Tour events are up for grabs, and Wozniacki is snatching them with both hands firmly grasped.
She is working hard, playing consistently well and winning tournaments. In doing so, she has accumulated more WTA Ranking points than anyone else. Therefore, she is the World Number One.
However, the way the media treats her, it’s as though she campaigned to be World Number One on the platform that she would bring Grand Slam Championships to Denmark.
“When are you going to deliver on your campaign promises and win a major?”
“Why should the fans vote for you to be Number One again if you continue to flip-flop on the Grand Slam issue?”
The fact is, Wozniacki didn’t design the ranking system to favor her. She didn’t ask to be World Number One. She never claimed to be the best. She simply went out, played hard, and won a bunch of tournaments.
Nothing would make me happier than seeing Wozniacki win the US Open, but even if she never wins a slam, she is still an excellent player who should be proud of her career to date.