After many years of consistently failing to win a Grand Slam title, also while being World No 1, Wozniacki finally laid hands on that elusive trophy when she won the Australian Open last month.
It buried a long-standing question she would encounter, whether she has it in her to win a Grand Slam? That Wozniacki proved the critics wrong in Melbourne, is something that has brought her relief and joy in equal measure.
“I think the only thing that has changed with people treating me differently is that I have not gotten the question of being No 1 without a Grand Slam. So that’s a big difference and that’s a change that I’m very happy about,” said Wozniacki yesterday, ahead of the Qatar Total Open, which will begin from today at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
The icing on the cake in that Australian Open victory for Wozniacki was she returned to the No 1 spot, six years since she had last done so. However, the 27-year-old claims life hasn’t changed much since her breakthrough triumph at Melbourne Park.
“Life hasn’t changed at all. Still the same when I go back on the practice courts. I still have things that I need to work on, and I still get stuff from my dad saying move your feet, do this. So nothing has changed in that regard,” she said.
Wozniacki was brought down to earth, when she suffered a quarter-final defeat to Russia’s World No 23 Daria Kasatkina at the St Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy before last week. However, a week-long break has refreshed her mentally and physically.
“I didn’t hit at all when I was home and just enjoyed some hikes and walking around. I went to the gym a couple of times just to kind of stay active and get a sweat going, but other than that it was a lot just about having good food and relaxing, sleeping, just catching up and those things that I haven’t had the time to do yet. So it was very nice,” she said.
In Doha, Wozniacki is one of the favourites to win the title in a field that features nine of the top 10 players. Last year, she had lost to Karolina Pliskova in the final. But buoyed by her victory at Australian Open, Wozniacki would fancy her chances of going all the way this time in Doha.
