Maybe they are better off without each other. Professionally speaking, that is.
The much publicized split between Rory McIlvoy and Caroline Wozniacki has obviously increased the golfer’s game with wins at the US Golf open and the PGA Championship.
Now it’s Wozniacki’s turn.
After her publicized breakup, Wozniacki concentrated on getting in shape to run the marathon and that in turn improved her tennis game.
“I think it will help me a lot,” she said after beating Maria Sharapova, 6-4 2-6 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. “Today was a tough battle out there. It was humid; it was hot; I had to change my dress. That rarely happens. It was just soaked. Definitely it’s helping, because I felt fresh out there and I felt like I could keep going.”
She just might. With now, six of the top 8 seeds out on the women’s end and only Jelena Jankovic seeded higher on her side of the bracket; Wozniacki has a very good chance to return to the Finals for the first time since 2009.
But she is not punching her ticket to next Sunday yet.
“I mean, the depth of the women’s game now is so high, you know,” she said. “The level is high. So it’s never easy. I knew that I had Maria, so that was my task to kind of complete. I didn’t really look further to that. I know I’m playing Sara Errani. Obviously now there are only a few players left so I kind of know who is in my half. It’s never easy. It’s always easy on paper but never easy in reality. If it was, then all of us would be sitting here as No. 1 in the world and plenty of Grand Slam titles in our pockets. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.”
Serena Williams will be a tough matchup if she gets to the finals, but that’s way ahead. Wozniacki plays the No. 13 seed Errani and then who knows. The Great Dane can do something pretty special here is she keeps up with her high level of play.
And now she is getting noticed. Unlike the first three rounds where she won on the intimate Grandstand, her match on Ashe today put her back in the spotlight. And by beating Sharapova, she now makes herself the second biggest name in the tournament left after Williams.
That will put a target on her back. Wozniacki, though, is very popular with the players on the tour and has many friends.
She is also older and wiser and maybe playing with a chip on her shoulder in order to show Old Rory that she has moved on.
“You know, it’s a new year and I’ve gotten older – and hopefully a little wiser,” she said. “You know, I feel good. I feel comfortable when I play out there. The crowd was amazing today. It’s just so much fun to play out there again on the big court.”
Take that Rory.
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