Caroline Wozniacki ousted in fourth round of Wimbledon by Barbora Zahlavova ...
WIMBLEDON - Caroline Wozniacki, former No. 1 player in the world and former No. 1 in the heart of Rory McIlroy, is about to turn 24-years-old. She has almost $17 million in career earnings, 21 titles to her credit and a persona that fairly glows.
You can't dispute that her tennis career has gone very nicely. You also can't dispute that she is not the Danish dynamo she once was, and that her anticipated rebound from a miserable May did not quite unfold the way she'd hoped it would here
'Obviously I would have loved to have been further,' Wozniacki, the No. 16 seed, said Monday, after getting drummed out of the fourth round by Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-2, 7-5. 'I guess sometimes that happens. You just have to get yourself back up and keep working and come back next time.'
Wozniacki made it to the U.S. Open final in 2009, and to three Grand Slam semifinals in the ensuing two years. She hasn't made it beyond the fourth round in the last 10 majors, bottoming out in her first-round loss in the French Open - a competitive face-slap that came immediately after McIlroy, who is deep into his own tailspin, said he didn't want to be her fiance anymore.
Wozniacki showed plenty of grit against Strycova, who took out No. 2 Li Na in the previous round, fending off five match points, starting with a deft crosscourt backhand approach at 15-40, 4-5 of the second. She got back to 5-5 with a backhand volley and a long Strycova forehand, but two games later, was done in by a double fault and a backhand get that poked wide.
Strycova mixed in an array of drop shots with big backhands from the baseline, producing 31 winners. Wozniacki's game has always been built on counterpunching, but it's not getting her where it used to. She hasn't beaten a Top 10 player all year, and hasn't won a tournament yet, either. Still, she insisted that she was looking forward to the hardcourt season, especially the Open.
'I think every player goes through ups and downs a little bit,'Wozniacki said. 'I'm definitely motivated and excited for the rest of the year. 'There's still a lot to be played. A lot of things can happen.'
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