Wozniacki seals year-end No.1 spot
Originally published on: 27/10/11 10:40
Caroline Wozniacki secured the year-end world No.1 ranking at the WTA Championships in Istanbul yesterday despite losing to Vera Zvonareva in three sets.
The Dane, who lost 6-2 4-6 6-3 to the Russian in her second round-robin match, secured the top spot for the remainder of 2011 after Maria Sharapova pulled out of the tournament with the sore ankle that has troubled her since she competed in Tokyo three weeks ago.
“It’s amazing for me to finish the year as No. 1 once more,” Wozniacki said. “I mean, only very few players have finished a year as No. 1, and to do it two years in a row is very special. I’m only in the beginning of my career, and to have achieved so much already, it’s a dream come true.”
Sharapova lost both of her opening matches in Istanbul and pulled out after losing to French Open champion Li Na despite holding a 4-2 advantage in the first set.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to end it this way,” the Russian said about her 2011 campaign. “But I have no regrets. I definitely progressed from last year and I’ve improved, and my game has stepped up. I still feel like going into next year there’s so many things that I can improve that can make me better. It’s just something I look forward to when I start training again.”
After the departure of Sharapova, known for her particularly high-decibel grunts, Wozniacki waded into the debate about players who screech on contact with the ball.
“I think there are some players who do it on purpose,” Wozniacki told reporters.
“They don’t do it in practice and then they come into the match and they grunt. I think they [officials] could definitely cut it. If you grunt really loudly your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball. Because the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly the ball just goes slowly. In tight moments, maybe the grunt helps them with getting less nervous.”
The Dane’s close friend Victoria Azarenka, also ear-splitting in volume, told reporters in Istanbul that everyone should mind their own business. “I cant stop, and I won’t,” she added.
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