From #1 to #9. Losing first rounds all too frequently. Woz was ousted today by Tamira Paszek 6-4 in the third.
“She waits for things to happen,” says Mary Joe Fernandez.
“Wozniacki doesn’t have the ability right now to take the initiative in big moments,” says Patrick McEnroe.
It was a good performance but not up to the former #1’s standards. Wozniacki was just one point away from winning the match today but she let it slip away.
How can this be?
She is just 21. She should be in her prime years.
Tennis can be a cruel game and when you work so hard and don’t achieve the intended goals – in Caro’s case, winning majors – you can begin to question yourself. Am I really good enough? Are they better than me?
Wozniacki tried a new coach for Wimbledon in former Australian Open champ Thomas Johansson but there was no evident change in her game. She just keeps grinding it out, counter punching and playing long, drawn out points.
Did Wozniacki, during her two years as #1, play her absolute best tennis, but it just wasn’t good enough to win a Grand Slam?
That looks to be the reality at this point.
It reminds me of that 2002 Australian Open final when Martina Hingis, having fallen short to win a major for quite some time, took a new approach to confront her Big Babe Tennis rivals, and got in the best shape of her life and made it all the way to the final and earned four match points vs. Capriati. Capriati survived and eventually won the match, which was a devastating loss for Hingis. Hingis, then 21, had worked extremely hard to get in the winning position, got there and still failed. She never threatened again to win a major again (but did reach three quarterfinals).
It’s beginning to look like Wozniacki, who turns 22 in July, might be burned out and destined to never win a major tennis title.
(Photo of Center Court by Brett Connors.)
Hingis' last major final was at age 21
Andrew Miller · June 28, 2012 at 12:01 am
Woz might be making it too complicated. Her game is a carbon copy of other pros who play well. Could be as simple as a racquet switch back to Babolat that moves her forward.
Dan Markowitz · June 28, 2012 at 3:12 am
She doesn’t have the power to hit with these strong hitters like Sharapova or Williams. She is undersized and her forehand gets her in a lot of trouble. Basically, she got to the US Open finals and that will be the high water mark of her career. Funny to see Pavel coach Paszek and Johannsson coaching the Woz.
The other explanation could be that love sinks. Ever since The Woz and McElroy have gotten together, both of their careers have gone in the tank.
Scoop Malinowski · June 28, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Andrew her game got her to #1, her game works but lately it’s not working. Could very well be the racquet change to Yonex. Dan, she has beaten most of the top players. I think her game has stagnated, she needs to add new dimensions, new tactics, new ideas, everyone pretty much knows what she will do, and is ready for it. Don’t think it’s the relationship with the golfer, then again, maybe they are so in love that their care for each other has become a higher priority than their day jobs. It’s a fine line between winning the close ones and losing them.
Andrew Miller · June 28, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Woz has a shot to make it back, if only because her game is more compact than Ivanovic and more than Henin, whose styles are more complex and I think require more work. Don’t know if “complexity of playing style” helps or hurts a player when they are going for a comeback. I think about Agassi in this regard, who required Brad Gilbert’s voice and mantra of keeping it simple and not killing a mosquito ( tennis ball that can be put away ) with a frying pan ( huge shot ) when a fly swatter ( simple shot ) will do.
All that said and apologies for switching gears, but here’s some more silent applause for Brian Baker, who is on to round three. Niemenen, his opponent for round 2, is beyond his best playing years but still solid, and Baker apparently blasted him, with a bagel in set 1. Here’s hoping Baker sees himself in round 4.
Scoop Malinowski · June 28, 2012 at 2:37 pm
She just might have maxed out. Just for her to get to the top 5 with how she plays was a remarkable accomplishment. She is not the quickest or most athletic player, she does not have a huge weapon, yet she still got to #1 and stayed there for a good while. With how deep tennis is she just might never contend again for majors. Still she has had an excellent career.
Thomas Tung · June 28, 2012 at 10:32 pm
As others have suggested, some improvements in Caro’s game could still give her the opportunity to win Slams. A more aggressive mentality on key moments in a point would be a great start (as well as an ability to maintain that aggression, not back off into her usual “comfort zone” of standing several meters behind the baseline, as Chris Evert noted).
Scoop Malinowski · June 29, 2012 at 12:56 am
Thomas it seems against her nature to even try to play like that. She has no confidence to commit to it, kind of like Seles about coming to the net more, it was said she could do it very well in practice matches but in real matches she refused to do it. Caro is locked in her comfort zone.
Mark Sanders · July 2, 2012 at 1:12 am
Top 10 in the world is still not too shabby.
Scoop Malinowski · July 2, 2012 at 2:36 am
Mark welcome back! She is losing a lot more matches than the past two years and her confidence has to be faltering. #10 is good but she surely wants to regain residence in the rankings penthouse.