New York was the city that first propelled John McEnroe to the position where he feels qualified to offer an opinion on everything pertaining to tennis and most other matters. With this year’s US Open just hours away, he said that regardless of the advent of equal prize-money, female tennis players are not capable of withstanding the rigours of a 10-month season, either physically or mentally. Casting a glance down the list of absentees, with Serena Williams and Justine Henin the most notable, it is hard to argue with McEnroe — as if anybody would want to.
Pre-tournament fitness concerns over reigning champion Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams seem to support his view. “It’s asking too much of the women,” McEnroe said. “They shouldn’t be playing as many events as the men. They have it better in tennis than in any other sport, thanks to Billie Jean King and a few others, but you shouldn’t push them to play more than they’re capable of.”
Caroline Wozniacki, the No 1 seed at the US Open, would not get involved in a slanging match with McEnroe, preferring to let her deeds on the tennis court speak for her. And they do. The 20-year-old Dane committed herself to play potentially six weeks in succession and doesn’t want to let anyone down, least of all the tournament director at the build-up event in New Haven, Connecticut, who is desperately trying to find a new title sponsor.
Wozniacki, who became the surprise female package of last year’s US Open by reaching the final at her third attempt, is a very different personality from Serena Williams, who refuses to provide details about what happened in that Munich restaurant a few days after winning Wimbledon when she reportedly stepped on broken glass and cut her foot. Subsequently she played in a lucrative exhibition against Clijsters that attracted the largest paying crowd to watch a tennis match. Then she was photographed walking in high heels when she returned to the United States, before undergoing surgery from which she is apparently convalescing.
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Under recent questioning, elder sister Venus said: “Serena released as much information as she wanted. Traditionally we don’t say much about injuries because we don’t need anybody to feel sorry for us.” Sympathy shouldn’t be an issue. Remember, if you will, Serena’s verbal rant against an unfortunate line judge at the end of last year’s semi-final defeat against Clijsters that should have resulted in a suspension but saw her tamely reprimanded by the International Tennis Federation.
Wozniacki has now played four tournaments in the past month, winning two in Copenhagen and last weekend in Montreal.
Undeterred by the prospect of fatigue, she then headed to New Haven, where she found herself in last night’s final against Nadia Petrova.
Did she consider pulling out of the New Haven event after her Canadian triumph to preserve her energy? Most of her main rivals in New York opted against playing the week before a major. Not Wozniacki. “No,” she said. “I prefer playing matches because it’s a lot more fun, plus I got a bye in the first round and they are the best kind of victories there are. Then I got a walkover in the quarter-final because Flavia Pennetta couldn’t play.
“It’s important to listen to your body, but I so prefer playing matches. I like being in competition. In the past year, my fitness has improved a lot. I’m in great shape and that’s down to experience. My biggest plus is I’m always a fighter. I never give up.”
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Certainly such was the case in her New Haven semi-final against Elena Dementieva. Wozniacki required treatment for a painful back during changeovers and was given painkillers but persevered, even when Dementieva served for the match in the third set, and she finally hung on to win in a deciding tie-break.
Wozniacki is a paradox, fiercely competitive on court but friendly, accommodating and gregarious away from it. She notes that many leading players in the women’s game are reluctant to make friends with one another, and decries the fact. Last year she went on holiday to Mauritius with fellow top 10 player Victoria Azarenka, with whom she’d had a demanding match at the Sony Ericsson WTA championships in Doha and then she bought the Belarussian an expensive pair of sunglasses for Christmas because she had admired the ones Wozniacki was wearing.
For the past year she has been wearing the exclusive adidas line in tennis clothing designed by Stella McCartney. “For me, fashion and dressing nice has always been a big part of my personality,” she admits. “I like to stand out and be different, and being the face of the Stella McCartney line makes it special. I care about being feminine and comfortable but the important thing is I don’t have to think about what I look like on the court. I can focus on the tennis and that’s a great feeling.”
Wozniacki insists she has learnt from last year’s experience of reaching her first Grand Slam final and her rise to second place in the world rankings, but she does not feel intimidated by the weight of expectation that this could be her great opportunity.
“I feel hungry,” she said. “Why should I be nervous, being number two in the world and top seed? It’s a great feeling. To get that last step, I know I’ll have to win a Grand Slam and I feel ready.”
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